Happy Feet Two: Journey
by veronica.toon.7
Summary: Sequel to Happy Feet: Alternative Version. Mumble and his friends are back home and each raising a family. Everything is fine, until the chicks get into a fight with there parents and are then separated and stranded miles away. Will they ever be able to reunite with each other again? Read to find out! Collab with Skyler the Elf Owl.
1. Prolouge

**Chapter 1 _Prologue_**

 **Here it is. The sequel collaboration story to Skyler the Elf Owl's and my story, Happy Feet: Alternative Version. This story will be taking place during Happy Feet 2, but with some big changes. It will be mostly going around the chicks from the film and from the previous story, which I recommend you read if you've haven't.**

 **I own nothing. Happy Feet 1 &2 and all its content belongs to its original owners. Skyler and I only own our OC's: DJ, John, Kathleen, Skyler, Veronica, Violet, Cole, Krista, Nathan, Andrew and any others we might have.**

 **So ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, enjoy the story Skyler and I have put out for you. (Hee hee. It rhymed.)**

* * *

The sun rose up over the ice, illuminating the frozen icy landscape once more. After months of pure darkness and fierce winds bringing cold blizzards, this was a welcome sight to see. Icicles began to shrink and drip water, the ice covering the ground began to crack and break apart, and that wasn't the only thing cracking.

The penguin egg, carried all throughout the winter had begun to break open, revealing the little penguin chick inside to the world. The dads of the chick were overjoyed to finally see their children, the very thing they had struggled to protect all throughout the winter, facing freezing cold temperatures and starvation. And no penguin dads were more overjoyed and anxiously awaiting their chicks hatching than Mumble HappyFeet and Seymour, the heroes of Emperor Land.

The two had chosen a nice spot near the edge of Emperor Land, near the sides of the barrier, to deposit their load, three eggs each, a rarity for there specie. Each egg was around the size of, let's say, a cantaloupe and was perfectly oval. The sunlight bounced off of its pearly white exterior, making it appear like the were glowing. In one of Seymour's eggs though, the sunlight shone through the egg and on the opposing side the silhouette of a chick could be seen.

Mumble kept staring at his three eggs, tapping his foot impatiently and quite rapidly, I might add. Seymour tapped his foot too, but at a slower pace. Finally, Seymour spoke up.

"You know, tappin is not going to speed up our chicks' hatching any more than now," he said. Mumble turned to him and sighed.

"I know- but! But what if something went wrong? What if I was careless and didn't give them enough heat? What if I tapped so much they got exposed to the cold? What if-," Mumble cut off as Seymour lightly punched his flipper. "Ow," he muttered.

"Look Mumble, my brother," Seymour started, putting a flipper around Mumble's shoulders. "Look at all those other dads with their chicks. Don't you think that they had any worry that they're eggs weren't going hatch anymore than you and I?"

"I guess, but what if they do hatch? What then? Will I be a good father? Will I show them enough love and affection? What if I'm a horrible father? What will I-." A cracking sound cut both of them off. Both males froze and slowly turned her focus back to their eggs. One egg in each of their three was beginning to wobble and cracks were becoming to form right on the surface.

"It's happening," Seymour whispered, quietly as to not to distract his children from breaking out of there shells. Their egg was beginning to crack more and rock faster and faster, side to side. The other eggs were beginning to wobble and crack too. Mumble and Seymour were almost jumping out of their feathers in excitement. Both leaned down to there eggs and watched as cracks spread out like a spiderweb on the shells.

Seymour was transfixed by his eggs. One in particular, the first one, started cracking and cracking rapidly until finally- Crack! A hole appeared in the egg. A tiny beak poked out and in a tiny, child voice asked "Da?" Seymour wanted to whoop and holler with joy, but instead he called out to his son, tapping his beak lightly with his own beak and telling him to break out of his containment.

Mumble watched attentively as his egg cracked until a hole appeared too. He lowered his head and dipped his beak into the hole made. He instantly retracted it as another beak tapped his and poked out of the hole as soon as Mumble's was out. The hole widened until a face peaked out from it. Pure blue eyes, the same color as his, locked on to his.

"Pa," the chick asked. Mumble grinned widely.

"Y-yes. I'm your pa," Mumble replied.

"Pa! Pa," the chick gleefully said. The rest of his egg broke under his enthusiasm and the newly-hatched chick fell on to his father's feet. Mumble instantly helped his new son get up and get warm on his feet and belly.

More cracks appeared on the rest of Seymour's and Mumble's eggs. Another hole appeared on another one of Seymour's eggs, just as the first chick broke out of his egg. The same went for Mumble's egg. Two voices yelled "Daddy," and two females broke out of their eggs. Seymour's little girl had his eyes, but most of her mom's features while Mumble's chick had his eyes and Violet's, her mother, features. Both ran to their daddies and hugged her legs while joining their brothers. Seymour and Mumble grinned and watched her last egg that had yet to hatch.

Both eggs stood still for a moment, but then resumed cracking and rocking to all sides. Finally, the cracks grew large enough and a hole appeared on both of them. The already hatched chicks cheered their other sibling on as the crack grew wider and pieces of eggshell started falling off. Seymour peeked into his egg and his chick stared back with... blue eyes? Seymour gasped as the chick, completely obvious of why her father was gasping at her, giggled and started breaking more out of her shell. Mumble was in for the same shock as his chick pecked out of her shell and met him with brown eyes. They only could watch as both pecked out of their eggshells and ran towards them and their siblings.

"Hi daddy," both called at the same time to them. Their siblings giggled at their synchronization as both chicks looked out from their father's leg and stared at each other, before joining in laughing as well. Seymour and Mumble looked at them before looking at each other.

"Blue eyes," Seymour whispered.

"Brown eyes," Mumble replied. Finally Seymour turned and gave a sheepish grin at Mumble.

"Well... it appears your chick probably inherited them from her grandparents, as for mine, well, I'm not sure where she got hers from," he said.

"I got what from where, daddy," the odd-eyed chick asked from his feet below. Seymour looked down surprised at her and smiled.

"Nothing sweetheart." The chick looked up at him with curiosity in her aqua-blue eyes.

"Is my name 'sweetheart', daddy," she asked again. Seymour held back a snicker at her expense. "Um, no dear. 'Sweetheart' is not your name. Speaking of which, I'd better give you guys some names."

"Me too. Let's see. Um, your name," Mumble said, pointing at his son, "-will be Erik. And you," pointing at his second-born, "-will be Erika." Both chicks giggled and begin saying there own names and their sibling's names.

"Erik and Erika? Let me guess, you're naming the last one 'Era'," Seymour teased.

"Nope. Her name will be-," Mumble crouched down low to her, "-will be Skyler."

"Skyler? Might I ask why you chose that name," he asked.

"Because she looks like a Skyler. Plus Violet liked it," Mumble replied. He smiled as his newly-christened chicks as they kept saying there names. "So, what are you naming yours?"

"Oh, mine? Well, I was thinking Atticus for my little man right here," Seymour said, pointing to his son who grinned back. "As for my two girls right here, I'm thinking Boadicea and Veronica," he said, pointing at the brown-eyed one, now dubbed Boadicea, and the blue-eyed one, now know as Veronica.

"Nice. Where'd you get those names?"

"Gloria got them from our old teacher, Miss. Viola, and liked them, so I'm going with them."

"Well, I think there good names. Congratulations brother."

"Thanks, and congrats to you too, bro," Seymour replied. They moved closer to each other and let there chicks interact with one another. Their youngest chicks both jumped off there feet first and went over to one another. Veronica smiled and waved at Skyler.

"Hi! I'm Veronica. What's your name?"

"Hi! I'm Skyler."

"Skyler. That's a pretty name. I like it. Hey, you do know you have brown feathers on your head, right," Veronica said.

Skyler reached up and indeed found some brown feathers, beginning to dip over her right eye. She then looked back at Veronica. "So do you," she said. Veronica immediately began looking for her brown feathers.

"Where are they." she asked.

"Um, there kinda on the top-back of your head," Skyler replied.

"Oh," Veronica replied. Skyler giggled a bit. The two were soon joined by both of there older-by-a-few-seconds siblings. Atticus, Erik, and Boadicea went up to each other while Erika went behind Veronica and soon began talking to both her and Skyler.

"Hello. My name's Boadicea. What's yours," she asked Erik. Erik looked at her and blushed before looking down again.

"Oh, I-I'm Erik," he stuttered. Both chicks smiled at him.

"Erik. That's a nice name, yo. I'm Atticus," he introduced himself. Soon both groups were talking with each other nicely. Mumble and Seymour smiled warmly as they saw their children getting along with each other.

After awhile of playing, the chicks and Mumble and Seymour turned to where some footsteps were crunching the snow beneath. Four penguins started walking up to them. It was the chick's grandpas. Memphis(Mumble's father), Maurice(Gloria's father), DJ(Seymour's father), and John(Violet's father). All four new grandpas spotted their sons and son-in-laws and started walking over to them.

"Mumble." Memphis called as he went over to his son and hugged him.

"Hey pa," Mumble replied, returning the hug back.

"Seymour, what's up my man," DJ said as he went over to Seymour and hugged him.

"Hey pop," Seymour replied. Both of them slapped flippers with each other.

"Hey you two. Where's our grand-chicks," John called out, followed by Maurice. Mumble and Seymour smiled and separated there chicks from each others and presented them to their grandfathers.

"Children, these is your grandfathers, grandpa Memphis and grandpa John," Mumble introduced. "These are my chicks, Erik, Erika, and Skyler," Mumble said while pointing them out.

"Hi," all three chicks said at once. There grandfathers smiled at them an went over to get a better look at them. Meanwhile, DJ and Maurice went closer to meet there grand-chicks, Atticus, Boadicea, and Veronica.

"They're just precious," John said to Mumble.

"Nice job son. First day and I can already tell you're going to be a great father," Memphis praised.

"Thanks pa," Mumble replied.

"Oh Guin, son. Your son is so rad. And your girls, I can tell they're going to be straight-out beauties when they grow up," DJ complimented.

"Yes, they're really quite amazing," Maurice said. Seymour smiled and thanked both of them.

After awhile, the sun was beginning to set on the first day of the chick's first had begun to yawn and go to there parents to sleep. DJ, John, and Maurice had said there goodbyes and left, but Memphis stayed.

"Mumble," Memphis said quietly as soon as the chicks were fast asleep on his son's feet.

"Yes pa," Mumble said quietly. The older penguin looked down towards his feet and shuffled them slightly before looking up slowly at his son.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry," Memphis said quickly.,

"For what, pa," Mumble asked, shock filling his voice.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't that good as a father when you were a chick, my boy. I was just so focused on wanting you to sing when I should have supported you with your dancing," Memphis said.

"Pa," Mumble whispered.

"And the fact that I let Noah exile you. You! My son! My own flesh and blood! I allowed him to exile you and only if you gave up your friends you could stay. I'm just so sorry for being such a Guin-awful parent," Memphis said. Two tears trickled out of his eyes and fell down his face. Mumble carefully leaned over and wiped away the tears from his father's face. Memphis opened his eyes and looked confusedly at his son.

"Pa, I forgive. I forgave you the second I went back to Emperor Land. I know you could have been a better father to me, but you did all that you could for me. I love you pa," Mumble said. He gave his father a hug, which Memphis, though first hesitant, eagerly returned.

"I love you too, son" Memphis whispered. After a while, they both separated. "Thanks son. You have a wonderful son and daughters. You'll make a great father, I know you will," Memphis said.

"Thanks pa," Mumble replied.

"Your welcome. Now, let's get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow. The females are returning and I'm pretty sure Violet would like to see the chicks and Norma Jean would like to see them too."

"Violet," Mumble murmured, remembering his violet-eyed wife. Memphis chuckled lightly.

"Good night, Mumble," Memphis said quietly, before walking away.

"Goodnight pa," Mumble replied. He looked at his chicks one more time, watching them snuggle and sigh contently against him. Mumble then dipped his head over his chest and closed his eyes, thinking on how tomorrow would go.

* * *

The next day

Mumble's POV

All the males in Emperor Land are gathered near the entrance, awaiting the arrival of the females back from their fishing trip. I stood with my chicks and Seymour and his chicks. Memphis, Maurice, DJ, and John stood by us, there to help if something went wrong and also awaiting their wives.

I looked around, trying to see the group of females where Violet, my wife and mother to the chicks, was. While looking, I spotted an old classmate of mine, Cole. He was standing with his two boys, Andrew and Nathan, and was looking out for his wife, Krista. Mumble shivered lightly, not from the cold but from the memory of Krista.

Ever since my and my friend's first day at school, Krista had been there to bully us. Whether it was calling us freaks and rejects or to humiliating us from our chick-hood to the mating season and to our return to Emperor Land, Krista had really shaped up our childhood through her words and actions. Until recently, after the colony had danced together for the aliens and brought back the fish, Krista had become nicer. I mean not nice nice, but nice civil. She had married Cole and now had two boys.

 _"All's well that ends well,_ " I thought to myself.

"Pa," a voice from below asked. I looked down to see Erik, Erika, and Skyler looking up at me.

"Yes son," Mumble asked, looking at Erik.

"When are we going to see our mommy?"

"Yeah. When we gonna see her," Skyler asked.

"As soon as Noah gives the signal. Then we go out and find your mom from all the other females returning," I replied.

"What's she like, pa," I heard Skyler asked.

"What is your mother like," I repeat. Skyler nods. "Well, she has bright beautiful violet eyes, just like her name. And she's very sweet and very brave. You'll like her a lot," I explain. The chicks are in awe and immediately look out to the horizon for any sign of her.

Then, from behind us, I hear Noah call out and from out in the distance, the group of females starts to show from the fog and snow. The other males repeat Noah's words and begin waddling towards the group. I do the same, moving with my chicks to the group.

We move across the snow and into the returning female's group, trying to locate the one we need to find among all the other mates trying to find each other. We pass several girl penguins, but none are the one we're trying to find. I keep my eyes peeled for her violet eyes among all the other brown eyes.

"Violet! Violet," I call out, trying to find her.

"Mama! Mamma! Mama," my chicks call out, trying to find their mother too. I'm getting too crammed in from all the moving penguins, so I move towards the outer rim of the group. I search everywhere from the spot I'm in, trying to find my love.

"Mumble," a sweet voice from behind me asks. I turn completely around, and right before me is the most beautiful penguin I've ever seen. Her violet eyes twinkle in the sunlight and her face is so lovely. She smiles at me and giggles and little bit.

Violet," I whisper. "Violet," I call out, saying it louder. I immediately waddle over to her, hugging her tight when she's close enough.

"Oh Mumble," she whispers back.

"Mama," my three chicks cry out, hoping from my feet and onto hers and began hugging her legs. She looks down and laughs with them, and she hugs all three of them with her flippers.

"Oh my darlings. Just look at you. You're so beautiful," she says to them, before looking up at me. "What are their names," she asks me.

"Well, I thought Erik for our son, Erika for our girl, and Skyler for our youngest," I reply.

"Hmm. Erik, Erika, and Skyler. They're perfect," Violet replied. She then leans in and nuzzles me. "I missed you," she says.

"I missed you too," I reply.

"Hey mama," Skyler says. "Can we eat now? I'm hungry."

"Sure thing, dear," Violet replies. _And you already know what happens next so let's move a few hours later._

* * *

Violet snuggled against Mumble while their chicks slept on their feet. After a long day of bonding and 'feeding', both parents were ready for bed. Norma Jean and Kathleen(Violet's mother) had come over to look at her grand-chicks and Gloria had stopped by to see her friend's chicks before going to spend time with her own and with Seymour.

Right now, Violet and Mumble wouldn't want to be in any other place than in each other's presence. Tomorrow would bring a new dawn and probably new challenges as there chicks would go and experience them.

This is just the beginning for there new adventure.

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed this first chapter, next time we'll go into the movie's timeline, but with possibly some big changes. For those who haven't read "Happy Feet: Alternative Version" and don't know what's going on right now, I suggest you read it before going on to this. This is the sequel you know.**

 **Please review, tell me how I did, and me and Skyler the Elf Owl will see you next time. Thank you, I am v.t.7!**


	2. Challenges Ahead

**Chapter 2** ** _Challenges Ahead_**

 **Now we get to go into the story, around the first part of the movie. As mentioned in the previous chapter, there will be some major changes to the story plot, but it will still go along with the movie. This part takes place after the last chapter in Happy Feet: Alternative Version, which I recommend reading before going on to this.**

 **I own nothing. Happy Feet 1 &2 and all its content belongs to its original owners. This includes all the songs in the movie too. Skyler and I only own our OC's: Skyler, Veronica, Erika, Violet, Cole, Krista, Nathan and Andrew.**

 **Enjoy the story. Oh, and one more thing: Happy Father's day!**

* * *

Antarctica. Cold, dry, windy. Almost completely covered in ice. As summer approaches, some of the ice starts to melt. Snow piles diminish. Walls of ice crack and collapse. Icicles begin to drip and shrink.

As the sun heats up the icicles, water drops gather at their tips and gather up more of the melted water as they grow in mass before finally gathering enough so that they break off from their origins and fall to the ground below.

 _Brothers and sisters, penguins all..._

One drop gathers off an icicle, just like the other ones. The drop gets larger and larger and finally gets to a point where it drops off the icicle, like an apple falling off a branch by the stem.

 _Everything in this world..no matter how big...no matter how small...is connected in ways we never expected..._

The water droplet fell down and onto the ground where a puddle had already formed. However, when the drop fell, it created a hole in the ice, eventually causing the water to swirl into it, like a miniature whirlpool. The hole began to expand, causing cracks to spread out from all sides of it. the crack began spreading out, faster and faster, while getting wider.

 _Yes indeed_

Zooming out through the snow, we see the crack has broken up a huge piece of ice that is now getting sucked out to sea. We zoom out even further, and we are able to see it from space. It is quite remarkable that just one drop of water caused such a large piece of land from Antarctica to be broken off from the continent itself.

* * *

Blue and brown eyes opened as two chicks woke up abruptly. The two chicks had been taking a light nap near the walls of ice surrounding Emperor land. Skyler and Veronica had become the closest of friends in just a few months. They would almost never go without each other, and as of late, Lovelace had offered to teach them both about narration. They had both been excelling at this talent and both had a remarkable gift for it.

Though lately, they had been receiving these strange dreams, ones of arguing, fighting, separation, and almost always of huge hunks of ice coming for them. Both had had one of those dreams right now and they were both breathing quickly, trying to calm themselves of what their mind's eyes had brought for them to see. After a few minutes of reliving themselves of their anxiety, they both looked at each other.

"Another one," Skyler asked. Veronica nodded at her friend.

"They're getting worse and worse each day. Sky," Veronica whispered and put a flipper too her friend's, "I'm scared." Skyler nodded and leaned over to hug her friend, who eagerly and not-too-hesitantly returned it, squeezing her friend to feel secure. Both stood like this for a couple moments, until they heard some singing from far. Both looked up and broke out of the hug.

"Bo," both whispered. Veronica turned to her friend.

"Um, so do you wanna go check and see what our siblings are up too," she asked.

"Okay," Skyler replied and the two began to waddle off to where there siblings were at, and possibly all the other chicks too.

* * *

Skyler's and Veronica's siblings were hanging out near the blue ice with all the other chicks. Krista's and Cole's sons, Andrew and Nathan, were also playing with them. Playing there included throwing snow, lightly, at each other, splashing each other with the melted water, and just practicing what they were good at. Pretty soon, Skyler and Veronica had gotten over to the spot where they had been playing.

"Hey guys," the both said. The other ones waved at them. Boadicea began to cartwheel and flip over to them, while yodeling.

"Yodel-le-he-he-haw, yodel-leh-he-hee. Yodel-le-he-he-haw, yodel-le-he-he. Yodel-la," Bo sang, coming to a bow at the end of her routine, right before Skyler and Veronica. Both of them clapped for her.

"Yay Bo. That was amazing," Veronica cheered.

"Yeah. I've never seen anything like that," Skyler praised.

"Thank you both. I'm glad you liked it. How is yours coming along sis," Bo asked, looking at Veronica. Veronica blushed and shuffled her feet.

"Oh, well. Um. Sky and I have been taking lessons about storytelling from Lovelace, so... we haven't really been working on our heartsongs," Veronica said sheepishly.

"Oh. I understand. Well you two are here now so let's get to it," Bo replied, backflipping away. The two watched before going over to their siblings. Veronica headed over to where Atticus and Andrew were while Skyler went over to Erik, Erika, and Nathan.

"Hey bro. Hey sis. Hey Nathan," Skyler greeted. All of them said hello back. Erika was tapping lightly on the ground while muttering.

"Whatcha doing sis," Skyler asked her.

"Trying a new dance move. Tell me what you think," Erika said. She began scat singing while tapping each words. She accentuated a few moves with a twirl and finished with jazz 'hands'. Skyler, Erik, and Nathan cheered for her.

"Great job Erika," Nathan commented.

"Nice sis," Erik said quietly.

"That was awesome," Skyler cheered.

"Thank you. Thank you," Erika said while bowing. She then turned over to Erik and Skyler. "So, can you show me what you've been working on?" Skyler and Erik cringed as their sister and Nathan looked at them.

"Um, well, I've haven't really been doing anything lately since V and I have been taking lessons from Lovelace," Skyler admitted.

"I don't know what to do," Erik said. He looked down sadly.

"Well, don't worry about it. You'll find what you're good at soon. Some penguins just take longer than others, while some learn quicker. Look what Atticus is doing over there" Erika pointed out. Both looked to seer Atticus beat-boxing as his siblings and Andrew danced around him.

 _"Don't call it a comeback. I've been here for years, rockin' my peers, puttin' suckas in fear. I'm gonna take this itty-bitty world by storm, and I'm just getting warm,"_ Atticus rapped.

Then Boadicea broke off and started singing _"We're bringing fluffy back, yeah! Them other penguins don't know how to act, yeah!"_

 _"Take 'em to the chorus,"_ Andrew, Veronica, and Atticus added for her.

 _"Get your fluffy on! Shake your tail! Get your fluffy on, but watch yourself! Get your fluffy on...,"_ Bo finished with a cartwheel. The chicks began to clap for her. Then the chicks parents started to call for them.

"Andrew!" "Atticus!" "Erik!" "Erika!" Boadicea!" "Skyler!" "Nathan!" "Veronica!"

Mumble and Violet, Gloria and Seymour, and Krista and Cole began to walk up to where the chicks were. The chicks ran over to each of their parents and began walking with them after saying goodbye to one another.

* * *

Later

Skyler was taking a light nap on her mother's feet while Erika was out playing with her friends and Mumble and Erik were out elsewhere. She was dreaming more and more about the fighting and the ice coming straight towards her, becoming more vivid as it came closer and closer till...

Snow being crunched by footsteps approaching broke her out of her dream-state before she could complete it. She groggily opened her eyes as she saw her father coming up to him, and he did not look happy. Her mother began carrying her along on her feet as she came closer to him.

"What's wrong, honey," Violet asked as Mumble waddled up to her. Mumble sighed.

"I really messed up with Erik. I tried to show him how to dance, but he tried it and ended up tripping and falling headfirst into a snow pile. And worse still, all the chicks laughed at him. He then dove into a nearby crack and he hasn't come up ever since," Mumble replied.

"And you just left him there, all by himself," Violet asked.

"No dear. Atticus and Bo jumped in to keep him company, and the other parents said it would be okay to leave him be for a little while. But I feel so bad for him. I really messed up. I'm an awful parent," Mumble moaned.

"No, you aren't, daddy," Skyler said. She jumped off of her mom's feet and went over and hugged her dad's leg "You're the best daddy in the whole entire world. And I love you." Mumble smiled and leaned down to hug his daughter back.

"Thanks sweetie," he whispered. Skyler snuggled against her dad's leg feathers.

"See. If that's not enough proof that you're a good father, then I don't know what is," Violet said. She then extended a flipper and placed it on his shoulder. "And don't worry about your daddy skills. You'll find a way to make things right with Erik." Mumble smiled at her and nuzzled her. She sighed happily.

"Mumble," two voices from behind called out. The three turned around to see Gloria and Seymour waddling up quickly to the.

"Seymour! Gloria! What's wrong," Mumble asked, walking over to them. Both of them were panting, meaning that they must have really hurried over to find them. "It.. it's Erik. He, Bo, and Atticus are gone," Seymour breathed out.

"What?!"

"Yeah. We came to take them, but when we looked into the hole, they were gone. We saw some footprints in the snow, heading to where Ramon was leaving earlier," Gloria explained. Mumble and Violet looked at each other in horror.

"We have to find them," Violet said. "And don't worry sweetheart. When we do find them, you'll find a way to make thing right with Erik."

"Right. Skyler. You stay here, in case they come back," Mumble ordered. Skyler looked up and nodded.

"Okay daddy," she replied.

"We'll be back in a little while, just stay put," Mumble said as he and his wife and friends waddled off to the exit of Emperor-land to look for their children.

* * *

Later

Skyler stayed just where her father had ordered her to be. And she was really bored from all the waiting, and concerned and worried for where her brother and two friends had gone, but all she could really do now was wait and hope they would be back soon.

She then heard footsteps approaching. She looked to her side to see Erika, Andrew, Nathan, and Veronica coming up to her. Veronica rushed up to Skyler and grabbed her shoulders with her flippers.

"Have you've seen my parents or siblings? They left like three hours ago and I can't find them anywhere" she said in a panicked voice. Skyler gently pushed Veronica's flippers off of her.

"It's alright, V. Your parents and mine went to go find Erik, Atticus, and Bo who ran away," Skyler explained.

"Ran away," Veronica yelled. She began to start hyperventilating and her breathing became fast.

"It's okay, V," Andrew said, coming up from behind her and putting a flipper on her shoulder. She began to calm down.

"How long have they've been gone, Sky," Erika asked.

"A few hours? I don't know," she admitted.

"Well maybe they're just having a bit of trouble getting back," Nathan suggested. Andrew shook his head.

"I'm pretty sure it still wouldn't have taken them this long," Andrew pointed out. Finally, Erika stomped her foot and began walking away from them.

"Erika! Where are you going," Skyler yelled.

"I'm gonna find them," Erika called over her shoulder. The others looked at her as she began walking down the hill. Veronica then began following after her.

"Hey, wait for me! I want to come," she called out as she began running after her.

"Hey, wait you two," Skyler called out. "We need to say put and we need to stay together!"

"Well, what better way to stick together than to follow after them," Andrew said, before walking after them. Nathan and Skyler looked at each other before walking after them too, hoping that they could keep up and also find the missing penguins.

* * *

Meanwhile with Erik, Atticus, and Bo, the three had left Emperor land and were trying to follow Ramon. They had followed his footprints and had soon made there way to the ocean's edge. There they saw him debating with himself on whether he should dive in or not. Then suddenly, a wave had come crashing down over him and onto the shore, causing him to turn within the wave and come falling onto his face as soon as it retreated. The three chicks ran over to him.

"Uncle Ramon," Bo asked. Said penguin spat out some seawater and got up to turn to see who had called his name.

"Hey! What's up? What's this? What's up," Ramon asked as the three came down to where he was.

"We're coming with you, wherever you're going," Bo replied.

"Oh no you aren't. You are here without your parents, this is chick-napping. Now go! Shoo!," Ramon said, trying to get them to go away.

"But we can't," Bo protested.

"What" Ramon asked,.

"We're fugitives. Fleeing Emperor-land," Bo explained. "We're rebels, seeking thrills and adventures" she added proudly.

"And tasty snacks," Atticus added. For a moment, Ramo's face calmed down,

"Oh. That's very nice. Very nice and- hey, wait a minute. No. Listen little ones," Ramon said, leaning in close to them. "Let uncle Ramon tell something to you. As much as going away to have adventures and to eat tasty snacks sounds super great, just think about how sad your parents will feel when they realize you're gone, forever. And let's not forget about your siblings. Think about how sad they'll feel if you're never around to see and be with them anymore."

The trio of chicks looked down to there feet. They hadn't realize the consequences to their actions until now.

"Now, now. No sad faces. Let's bring you back to your parents, before they realize you were ever gone and they decide to blame me for your disappearance," Ramon said, as he began leading the chicks back to Emperor-land.

"Ramon," four voices yelled from a distance away.

"Too late," he moaned as he spotted the two sets parents waddling up to him and the chicks. Ramon sighed and doubled his speed over to them, the chicks following after him.

"Ah. Ah, hello my friends. I bet you're wondering why your chicks are with me. You see, ah, I had no idea they were following until just a few minutes ago and then I talked to them and was going to take them straight home to you before-"

"It's okay Ramon. We know you didn't do it on purpose. Thank you for taking care of our chicks, but now it's time we take them home," Mumble said. He moved past Ramon and over to Erik. Gloria and Seymour rushed over to Boadicea and Atticus.

"Bo! Atticus! Do you have any idea how worried we were when we found out you were gone? You are in big trouble you two," Gloria scolded. The two lowered their heads in shame, but still went over to their parent's feet and hugged their legs.

Violet followed right behind Mumble as he came over to Erik. "Erik, what were you thinking? You know you're not supposed to go anywhere without our knowledge or permission. C'mon Erik. Let's go home," Mumble said.

"I'm not going back. I'm staying here," Erik replied.

"What. Erik no. Don't be silly," Mumble said. He tried to get close to touch his flipper to Erik's shoulder, but Erik pushed it away.

"I can't go back, pa. I don't belong there," Erik replied.

"But what will you do out here? How will you manage to fend for yourself out here," Mumble pressed.

"I'm going with Ramon to Adelie land," Erik replied.

"Whoa fluffito. Please, keep me out of this", Ramon said, and he took a step backwards.

"Listen Erik. Do you know how scared we were when we found out your were gone? We were so worried that me might lose you. Besides, what about everyone else back home? Your friends. Your siblings. Your grandparents. Everyone. Do you think they're worried about you too and want to have you back home with them" Mumble asked. Before Erik could answer, another set of voices came from behind them.

"Dad!" "Mom! "Erik!" "Bo!" "Atticus!" "Uncle Ramon!"

Everyone turned around to see Skyler, Andrew, Erika, Nathan, and Veronica coming up to them. And way behind them they could see two faint penguin figures following them. Possibly Cole and Krista following after their sons. The already stationary penguins and chicks started walking over to them.

"V! What are you doing here," Seymour asked as his daughter went over to him.

"I couldn't wait daddy. I was all alone and you weren't there and I got so worried and I just had to see you," Veronica said as she leapt onto her father's feet and cried.

"Sky! Erika! What are you doing here, I told you to stay put," Mumble asked.

"Actually daddy, you didn't tell me to stay put, just Sky. And we were going to check on you on why you were taking so long to find our siblings," Erika explained.

"Why didn't you bring any adults along," Mumble asked.

"Uh, actually honey, I think they did bring some adults along," Violet said, pointing out to the two approaching penguins. It was indeed Cole and Krista, who had followed their sons and the chicks out here. Both were upset at their chicks.

"Nathan! Andrew! What did we say about going somewhere without our permission," Krista seethed at her sons. Both of them looked up at there parents with guilt-ridden faces.

Ignoring them, Mumble went back to speaking with his son. "You see there Erik. We all care for you. Your siblings and your friends came out here because they were worried about you. Now, come on. Let's go home," Mumble explained.

"But, I don't belong there, pa! I don't have anything for my heartsong! Everyone else can sing or dance their heartsongs, but I can't! I can't pa," he began yelling. Mumble was about to reply, when suddenly, the ground shook. The ice and snow around the edge of the ocean began falling off onto the water. The adults and chicks had to hold on to each other to keep from falling. Then the tremors stopped.

"Wha-, what was that," Ramon asked.

"I don't know," Gloria replied.

"Something, somewhere, just took a big bump," Atticus commented.

"Yeah, and it sounds like it was nearby," Mumble agreed. Then Skyler's and Veronica's eyes went wide. They gasped and looked at each other.

"You don't think-"

"It can't be, can it?"

Another set of rumbling and the sound of ice breaking cut them off as the ground began to shake again. This time, it was less heavy than the last one, but still the chicks had to hold onto their parents to keep from tumbling down. As soon as it came, it stopped again.

"Okay, something really big did that," Mumble said. He and a few others were having to tap in place to remain steady on the ice.

"Well, whatever it is, it's gone now," Cole said. "How's about we start heading back to Emperor land before-"

He was cut off as another shock-wave erupted from below them, this time much more powerful. Skuas began to fly from the cliffs nearby and leopard seals slid from on top there ice floes and into the water. Cracks began to form in the ice on land and the sea began to ripple with waves. The penguins had to huddle together in order to stay standing. The shock-wave then began to die down a bit, but the vibrations could still be felt on the ground.

The ice on the ground began to split apart, and in the distance, the penguins there spotted something. There, across the water and coming up fast from the sheet of ice, a huge iceberg was heading straight towards them, breaking up the ice as it moved.

Skyler and Veronica both looked at it in fear as they saw it coming forward, just like it had in there dreams.

"No," both of them whispered.

* * *

 **Cliffhanger! Hanging from a cliff! That's why they call him Cliff Hanger! Heh, if any of you have seen Between the Lions you'll get this joke. XD I hope you all like this chapter, sorry this took so long to put up, I'll try to do it faster in the future.**

 **I decided to make Ramon's role in this story a bit more responsible than he was in the movie. I mean he didn't at all question the chicks more after they said what they were doing when they running away. He could have at least have thought about how worried there parents must have been and offered to bring them home.**

 **So now the Doomberg is coming straight for our heroes. What will they do? What will happen on the next chapter? What will happen to the chicks? Will the author ever stop making questions she can't answer at the moment? Yes, no, maybe. I guess you'll just have to wait and see what happens next.**

 **Please review, and tell me how I did on this chapter and I'll see you guys next time. Oh, and have a Happy Father's day! Sincerely, v.t.7**


	3. Broken Off

**Chapter 3** ** _Broken Off_**

 **Hey guys, sorry its taken so long for me to update this story its just that there have been some unexpected stuff and technical difficulties of late that have hindered the updating of this story. Plus I just got back from a trip to Arizona. Sorry about that. :P**

 **Anyways, to recap the last chapter, Erik gets humiliated from his lack of Happy feet and so he runs away with Bo and Atticus after Ramon, Mumble follows after him to make amends along with Gloria, the other chicks follow after them and all of a sudden they see an enormous iceberg heading straight towards them. What's gonna happen now? Read to find out!**

 **I own nothing. Happy Feet 1 &2 and all its content belongs to its original owners. This includes all the songs in the movie too and the one featured in this chapter. It's called "Fireflies" by Owl City and it has been slightly altered to go along with the scenario.**

 **Enjoy the story!**

* * *

The ice below their feet began to convulse again, the snow laying on top shimmering in the sunlight from the vibrations. The chicks held tightly to their parents as the iceberg in the distance caused sheet ice to crack and rupture, piling it together against its front as it advanced slowly, but steadily.

"C'mon, we'd better get back to the colony to warn them of this new threat," Mumble said as he adjusted his feet on the ice. The other adults murmured in agreement as they tried to balance themselves from the shaking.

"Alright. Kids, follow us. Try to keep together," Seymour ordered. The chicks hurriedly obeyed and piled together into a group of baby penguins.

Skyler then asked, "Dad, what's going to happen when we get home?"

Mumble sighed before replying, "I don't know, but if an iceberg that size is heading towards the colony then the others need to be told about it."

Skyler looked down at her feet. She was thinking about her dream and how reality had was becoming just like it. In her dream, an iceberg had headed straight towards the colony, blocking the entrance way with its enormous size and the penguins were trapped by the huge walls of sheer ice. Also, a scene had appeared in her head where her parents and friends were there as well. There was no noise, but bright red ribbons of light between her and her father, almost like they were arguing. Then she and her friends had faded away into the dark background and after they were gone, the colorful ribbons shifted to a very sad shade of blue and her father looked sad too. Her mom and her friends' parents appeared and they looked sad too before they faded away too.

Skyler flinched as she felt something tap her shoulder. She had been too absorbed in her thoughts to see Veronica come up too her side and touch her. Veronica looked at her with sympathetic eyes. She had suffered a similar nightmare of what Skyler had, only she heard thunder, lightning, the crashing of waves and ice cracking in her dream.

"It's okay, Sky. Don't worry, we'll get back to the colony soon and tell them about the iceberg and we'll get out of there before it come. And who knows, maybe it will melt or crack apart after awhile and we can go back home and turn the entire experience into a story. Doesn't that sound fun" Veronica asked, trying to raise everyone's wary spirits with her optimistic attitude.

"Yeah, maybe. We can even add in descriptions of how he day the iceberg came," Skyler suggested, catching onto her friend's cheerfulness.

"Perhaps, but I would appreciate if you two girls would pay a little less focus on your storytelling and a little more on your heartsongs," Mumble said, not breaking his walk to turn down to the two.

"Why, dad? I'm sure me and V will find them soon, but Lovelace said," Skyler started.

"Lovelace needs to understand that you girls need to find your heartsongs before you can go onto other things like storytelling or whatever," Mumble sternly replied. Violet gave him a light hit and whispered his name into his ear slit. He winced at the light scolding, but promptly went quiet.

Veronica and Skyler also became silent, but inside they were pretty mad at his ignorance to the thing they love and the thing they wanted to do the most. Before anyone else could say anything though, a large cracking noise sent them frozen in their tracks. Unlike the other ones, this one resonated much louder then the rest. The sound shook them down to their down feathers.

"What was that," Krista asked.

"I do not know, but we had better keep move-," Seymour started, but another crack sound cut off his words, followed by a rumble sound and what sounded like the ground was groaning.

A crack appeared on the ground, spreading out farther and farther until it headed straight for the group. It split right in-between the parents and the chicks. The crack the widened and another shake broke it loose from the inner-land. The chicks screamed as the piece of ground that they were on broke off from their parents' ground.

The parents yelled at their chicks, watching them split off from larger chunks of ice and becoming stranded on an ice floe headed straight out to the ocean. Their speed was only greatly added as waves appeared from the vibrations, sending them going faster.

"Skyler! Erika! Erik," Mumble screamed as he tried to go after him. Another rumble sent the icy ground before him cracked and sent upward, forming a fence of ice shard, ready to cut him if he dared move past them to the chicks. Violet held him back before he tried too.

"Veronica! Nathan! Atticus! Skyler! Bo! Andrew! Erik! Erika," the parents cried out to their children, only watching as they sped out to see. they couldn't follow after them and their chicks couldn't swim yet for their downy feathers would only get wet and cause them to drown.

The chicks were extremely frightened, having been sent onto a floe that was heading out to the ocean without their parents. The crashing waves had sent bucket loads of water on them, soaking them and causing them to moan with cold. A few ran to the edge of the floe, trying to call out to their parents. Skyler, Andrew, Veronica and Erik were at the front.

"Mom! Dad," they cried out, watching as their parents became smaller and smaller in the distance. They could hear their parents calling out, but as the distance grew between them they became softer and softer till they could no longer hear them.

Erik watched as his father's and mother's form begin to lose their details. When they started to become blurs in his sight, he quickly leaned down and started frantically paddling the freezing water of the Antarctic ocean with his flipper. Andrew and Erika quickly pulled him up. Erik squirmed at first, trying to get out of their grasp, but complied, hugging his wet and freezing cold flipper to his chest.

"Don't do that. You'll get frostbite," Erika reprimanded. Erik nodded and shut his eyes tightly as his flipper began to hurt from the numbing cold. The other chicks began to shiver as well.

They began to gather towards the center of the newly formed ice floe/raft. They began pressing against one another and holding each other with their flippers, trying to share warmth with one another and to keep from freezing to a point of death. Skyler pressed tightly between Seymour and Veronica. She turned her head an whispered into her best friend's ear,

"I hope we make it out okay." Veronica nodded her head sadly and began to shed tears silently, along with the other chicks.

* * *

"We have to go after them," Mumble yelled as he tried to look for a way past the wall of sharp ice. He could just barely make out the ice floe now, the chicks disappearing only seconds ago. Violet gripped his flipper, forcing him back a few steps.

"Mumble. Mumble! Stop! Stop before you hurt yourself," she ordered. She turned him around to face her. "Mumble. There's nothing we can do right now. The floe is heading out to the ocean through the current, and by the time we find a way to get past this wall they'll be too far away to find. All we can do now is pray to Guin that they'll be alright and that we can get to the colony in time to warn them about the iceberg that is still heading towards them."

Mumble frantically looked at her and back out to the ocean then back to her again.

"You're right, but still, their our chicks," Mumble started.

"And the great Guin almighty will protect them," Gloria said as she came from up behind him. "He has to. Our chicks will be safe and they will come back to us."

"But right now the colony needs to be alerted of this. We have to go now if we want to beat the iceberg to it and evacuate everyone before it comes," Seymour added, walking to Gloria.

Krista and Cole nodded and began walking towards the direction of home. Gloria and Seymour followed. Violet gently broke away from Mumble and joined the rest of the group. Ramon walked over to Mumble and said, Listen fluffito. They are gonna be fine, but right now, we gotta go." He turned and ran after them. Mumble looked at him and stole one last look at the ocean before following them too.

 _"Please Guin. Let out children be safe,"_ he thought.

* * *

After a few hours on the ice floe, the sun had set behind the ocean horizon, leaving the chicks in the cold, dark night. The sky was cloudy and dark, there were no stars visible. The chicks had run out of tears hours ago, but were still weeping, tear-less or not.

Atticus was away from most of the group with Skyler. They were both staring back out into the distance where they had came from. Their gazes were focused on the navy waters, rhythmically moving up and down in rippling, rough waters, always shifting and changing in shape and form.

"I can't believe this," Atticus said, not breaking her staring. Skyler turned and looked at her best friend's brother.

"What? That we're totally stranded without our parents in unknown, uncharted waters, with no idea if we'll ever get home," Skyler asked.

"Yeah, and we have no idea if we're gonna make it. What if we die out here Sky? What is there's no hope for us ever again? That we'll never make it out here," Atticus said, rather loudly.

"We have to keep hope Atticus," Bo said. The group had been hearing the conversation and decided to add in.

"But how Bo? How? The situation looks pretty dark now, doesn't it. Look you can't even see the stars out tonight. What if we can't see them anymore, huh," Atticus said.

Bo didn't reply, but looked up at the dark night sky and closed her eyes. A few seconds later and a streak of light swiped across her face. Bo opened her eyes ad pointed her flipper to it.,

"There! You see it," she said. the chicks turned and saw a lone star in the sky. Just a regular one, but everyone felt relief when they saw it. At least there was one light, small though.

Bo closed her eyes again, opened her beak and began to sing.

 _You would not believe your eyes  
If ten million stars tonight  
Lit up the word as we fell asleep  
'Cause they fill the open air  
And leave tear drops everywhere  
_ _You'd think me rude  
But I would just stand and stare_

 _I'd like to make ourselves believe  
That our little world turns slowly  
It's hard to say I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep  
'Cause everything is never as it seems_

The other chicks watched as Bo sang. Her voice flowed out into the night and made the air around them shiver with a new life. They each felt their souls stir with the music. Each finding the strength in them, they began to add in on the music. _  
_

 _To ten million stars tonight  
I'm weird 'cause I hate goodbye  
I got misty eyes as we said farewell  
But I'll know they're always there  
With us when we get scared  
'Cause they live in our hearts and they're __everywhere_

 _I'd like to make ourselves believe  
_ _That our little world turns slowly  
_ _It's hard to say I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep  
When our future contains uncertainty_

Bo looked at the other chicks, who were all together and nestled in a group together, each resting on each other's heads or shoulders, softly breathing. She was the last one awake.

Taking one last glance at the horizon from where they sailed, Bo quietly tip-toed towards the group and laid her head on her brother's shoulder, who was snoring a bit in his sleep. Bo started to close her eyes, muttering a bit. "Goodnight everyone".

Bo opened her eyes one last time and focused on the star she had pointed out earlier. It was still there, among all the other stars that had appeared while she was singing. The first star she saw however stood out the most, like a sparkling diamond surrounded in a blue velvet sky.

She took one last look at it before closing her eyes and whispering, "Goodnight mom and dad. Wherever you are".

* * *

 **I know its a short chapter, but it has to be. I was originally going to add it to the last chapter, but I wanted it to be suspenseful. Once again, the song "Fireflies" by Owl City if not mine and the altered lyrics are in no way used for profit, only entertainment purposes.**

 **Thanks to the awesome people who have reviewed my last chapters. Thanks you guys.**

 **Please review, tell me how I did, and I'll see you next time, hopefully sooner. Sincerely, v.t.7**


	4. In a Strange Land

**Chapter 4** ** _In a Strange Land_**

 **To recap the last chapter, Skyler and Veronica get lectured by Mumble to stop spending so much time with their storytelling and more with their heartsongs, of which they think is totally unfair. Then the ice splits and the chicks are stranded on an ice floe while their parents can only watch in horror as they travel away from them. The parents then decide to head back to Emperor land to warn them of the Doomberg approaching. Meanwhile, it becomes nighttime and when the chicks on the floe become worried so Bo then sings a song of hope and security that allows them to get some shut-eye for the night. Let's read what happens in this chapter, shall we?**

 **I own nothing. Happy Feet 1 &2 and all its content belongs to its original owners. Skyler and I only own our OC's.**

 **Enjoy the story!**

* * *

The parents made haste across the snowy land towards the entrance into Emperor land. They needed to warn the colony of the newly-discovered iceberg that was threatening their civilization. They had already crossed the ice fields that had become upright and jagged due to the recent, frequent earthquakes and were beginning to see the large hole in the circular walls of ice surrounding Emperor land.

A few black blurs were appearing in their sight, meaning they were approaching the colony with time to spare before the iceberg hit. The blurs began to yell at them, and it wasn't till a few more feet gained till they realized who they were. Memphis, Maurice, Norma Jean, Michelle, DJ, John, Katelyn, and Teresa. Their parents.

They hurried their pace until they could easily see the worry and concern on their faces. Each of them started talking all at once, but Memphis went straight up and started to communicate with them, mainly asking questions on 'where they had been' and 'what was those quakes about' and 'where are my grandchicks'?

"Hold on, hold on," Mumble cried out, silencing the group. "We have a major catastrophe here. There's a huge iceberg heading straight towards the colony, heading at a swift pace and breaking up large chunks of ice and snow. Our chicks have already become stranded on an ice floe and have headed out to sea." A gasp went through the grandparents. "We can't go after them because the way is blocked, so we came back to warn the colony and to have them evacuated before they suffer and similar fate."

The parents and grandparents all remained silent. Memphis finally broke the silence by walking up to Mumble, his feet crunching against the snow. He extended a flipper and touched his son's shoulder.

"Mumble, I'm sorry about what happened to your chicks, to everyone's chicks here. But if you say is true then we had better hurry and tell the colony so we can a head start on movin' them. They've already been searchin' for ya since ya left no mo' than an hour ago."

Mumble nodded and turned back on course to Emperor land. The Elders would be the ones to talk to. They could spread the news fast enough with everyone listening to them.

* * *

"So you say it was coming in at a steady and quick pace," Noah the Elder said from on top his icy outcrop. Ever since the colony came together to dance for the aliens to save the fish, Noah trusted Mumble and no longer doubted him. He had also apologized for everything he said to him when he was younger and was more trusting of what the younger penguin had to say.

"Affirmative Noah. It was coming in from the ocean, straight towards Emperor land. The approach has already separated my chicks as well as a few other ones. I advise we take immediate course of action," Mumble replied.

Noah and the Elders were silent for a minute. The other penguins had gathered in to listen and were no murmuring and whispering with each other. Finally Noah answered.

"It is to our knowledge that when the iceberg hits our colony, it will trap us within the walls of our homeland and of its mighty structure. This place has been our home for countless penguin generations, never changing to another place for a long as we can remember. Like our traditions," Noah started.

"But as we have come to known as of late, those traditions can be changed, as show by incorporating the jiggity-jogging of feet into out heartsongs in order to save out great penguin nation. So as though we are uncomfortable with the current threats in front of us, we must stay strong and keep together. For the sake of our lives, our families, our chicks, our generations, I declare we must all leave immediately, to preserve our future!"

A cheer came up from the penguins, but only a few cheered. Many still were afraid of what may lie out there home and what dangers might be there more them and their close friends and family. However, a quake broke them from their thoughts as they struggled to keep balance. Many of them huddled together to keep upright. The chicks ran over and hugged their parents' legs or with each other if they could not find them.

"Look! I see it! I see it," A penguin near the outside of the border called out, his voice moving to every penguin's ears. Some of them waddled over to look at where he was pointing to.

They were shocked at what was before them. There, out in the distance, coming in close, was the very thing threatening their colony. The Doomberg. Everyone remained silent as they heard the rumbling as it approached. Finally, someone did call out.

"There out in the distance! The Doomberg is coming! We need to evacuate everyone! Now," Mumble yelled.

The penguins all headed towards the exit as fast as they could waddle. Many mates and parents sought out each other and their chicks before going along with the rest of the group. Some stayed behind to help the others move, mainly the oldies and the Elders.

If you were flying overhead or looking from the top on the ice walls looking downward then you would have seen all the emperor penguins traveling together, tightly packed, appearing like one, big dark shadow across the expansion of ice. Mumble, Gloria, Seymour and Violet stayed at the back of the group, making sure everyone got out. All the exiting penguins moved to the right of the entrance to their home, heading straight on to avoid the iceberg's collision with the icy walls.

"Is everyone out," Mumble called out as it seemed there was no one left but him and his friends. Then he heard it.

"Help me," a young voice screeched. The four turned around to see in the ice tunnel in the great ice structure in the heart of Emperor land was a struggling chick buried underneath some snow and ice. The rumbling from the berg's approach was causing the icicles to break loose and the structure to start coming down.

Mumble wasted no time. Throwing everyone back, he propelled himself on his belly and slide into the collapsing tunnel. His friends cried out but he ignored them, just focusing on the chick. He slid over to her and dusted off the snow and ice covering her. A loud crack sounded then and it appeared on the top of the blue ice ceiling. At the far end of the tunnel, the snow and ice began to cave in.

Mumble stared at it for a moment before looking back at the chick. The falling ice had damaged her foot and a tiny red scratch had appeared on it. Wasting no time, he got onto his belly and told the chick, "Get on my back! I'm getting us out of here!" The chick whimpered and hurriedly climbed onto his back and gripped his fuzzy back and neck and held on tight. Mumble pushed hard with both his feet, trying to get him to move forward. He started to move but the debris from the cave was getting closer. He pushed harder, gaining speed. The collapse was nearly upon them.

He finally slid over a bump in the ice and shot straight out, just as the snow and ice reached the mouth of the tunnel. They were fee. He caught up with his friends and kept sliding down the now, empty piece of land where the emperors had just left. Violet, Gloria and Seymour joined in on the sliding, trying to keep up with him and to get to the rest of the group.

They could see the iceberg coming in closer. The sun coming up from behind it cast a shadow at its front, causing it to look even more menacing. Grey clouds from the direction it came from only added to the fear factor. They were coming up to the exit and they could see the group up ahead. They pushed faster and harder at the snow underneath them, gaining even more acceleration and they saw the group's size from afar growing bigger.

"Faster! We're almost there," Gloria cried out. Mumble was lagging behind them because of the extra load he had on him. The chick was crying from her experience and he could feel a few of her hot tears on the back of his neck, instantly turning cold after a second. His thoughts went to his own chicks. He could picture in his mind how scared they must be with the others, probably crying too.

A new determination fueled him. He might not have been able to save them then, but he would at least see this little one to safety. The Doomberg had then begun to close up the distance between the inside of Emperor land and the outside. Its edges first made contact with its walls, scraping alongside them and brushing much snow and ice off them. The result was large chunks of ice falling straight towards the four. They used a serpentine movement to dodge the pieces and the heavy piles of snow coming down on them. They soon got out of the danger zone and made it to the group, all but one.

"Come on Mumble," Violet yelled at her mate.

"You can do it," Gloria screamed at him.

"Yeah! You got this brother," Seymour cheered him on.

Mumble circled a fallen piece of ice in-front of him. The middle of the Doomberg had struck the walls of Emperor land now and a large amount of snow and ice was being shot out from the side as the iceberg pressed forward. Mumble slid as fast as he knew possible. He finally made it towards his friends and dropped the chick off right before the snow blasted across the group. Shielding her with his body, the snow and small ice shards whipped across his back, sending some of his baby/adult fluff off and causing him to bow his head with the others to protect his face.

After it cleared and the rumbling stopped, only then did Mumble raise his head to look out. The little chick was grasping firmly to his legs, still shedding silent tears of fear. The other penguins looked up to, trying to see the Doomberg now and what had it done to their beloved homeland, only to discover that the snow had not yet cleared and it had covered the entire part of land in fog so that none may see for now.

A voice called out. "Have you've seen her? Has anyone seen my daughter," a girl penguin called out, followed hurriedly by a male one that was probably her mate. The little girl chick on Mumble's legs perked her head up.

"Mommy," she called out to the voice. "Mommy" she cried out louder.

"Cerise," the female called out and headed towards the edge where Mumble, Violet, Seymour, and Gloria were.

"Mommy," the chick cried out.

"Cerise," the female penguin called, seeing her daughter. The chick hopped off of Mumble's legs and limped over to her parents, trying to avoid standing on her hurt foot.

"Cerise," both parents cried out, embracing the little girl as she reached them. It was a tearful and joyful reunion. The male looked up at Mumble and whispered a small "thank you" to him. His voice carried genuine gratitude in it.

The four then saw that the fog was clearing and now they could see the expanse of damage done to the land. What they saw sent a chilling cold feeling right to the pits of their stomachs, as everyone's else. The terrain was completely altered. The smooth, level landscape was now sloped and the berg's tip gave off to a vertical ledge at many points while others sloped down. What once was white snow meadows was now bare, jagged ice with scratches showing where the berg had come. The entrance to Emperor land was now completely sealed by the Doomberg. No cracks or holes showed through the berg's sides. It was completely impenetrable. No ways of escaping could be found.

"Thank Guin we all made it out alright," Seymour muttered, breaking the hushed silence that fell over the penguins. After the words had been spoken, it seemed like the spell of silence had been broken, for any others agreed and gave praise to Guin for making sure they were safe.

"Yes! Praise the great Guin, for sending us to safety and for his deliverance of what would have been a cruel fate indeed," Noah cried out among the colony. There were songs of agreement from the Elders and the others cheered for joy. They had been saved!

Among the cheering, Mumble, Violet, Gloria, Seymour, Krista, and Cole were less jubilant. True they had just helped the colony made it out of a disaster and to insure the survival of their species, but their chicks were still missing and they knew, deep in their hearts, that they would come back and they would be reunited with them once more.

* * *

Meanwhile with the chicks, the night had passed for them and a new day had dawned. Nut they were still stuck on the ice floe which appeared a bit smaller from yesterday. It would only be a matter of time before the piece of ice melted in the warmer ocean water and each and everyone of them would fall into the ocean and sink because of their fluffy, not yet waterproof, baby feathers.

Until then, they were stick in the middle of the ocean with no way to get back to their parents. A few Antarctic fish had been caught in the waves sloshing over the floe and they had quickly been devoured by the chicks, so starvation was of no concern to them right now. In the meanwhile the chicks were talking to each other and explaining what they might find out here if they kept on drifting for a while longer.

"We can't last much longer. A day or two maybe but the ice floe won't last forever and we're bound to find something out here," Nathan said.

"I agree, but so far we haven't seen any other forms of life. By this point I'd even welcome seeing orca whales," Erika said. The other chicks gasped. Killer whales were seen frequently off the edge of Antarctica during the summer and many a times penguins would die by their powerful jaws when they came also to fish in the water.

"Let's not go too far to say that Erika," Skyler hurriedly said.

"Yeah, Dad says those are super scary. He says that he saw two of them nearly eat Erik, Erika and Skyler's dad, plus the Amigos and Lovelace when they were trying to save Emperor land," Veronica agreed.

"Sorry, but even though we've only been out here one day and one night I already feel so secluded," Erika apologize. She stopped her foot for emphasize.

"I know, but we have to focus on the positive. We just need to stay calm and not panic. Let's try not to think of this as danger, but as an adventure," Boadicea said.

"Yeah, but- huh? Hey, what's that," Andrew asked. He had his flipper pointed out to the distance. The other chicks looked at where he was seeing.

Out in the distance, a shadow was approaching. Not one made from a cloud, but rather it was coming from the water. As it grew closer, they could see that it was very big, bigger than the whales they sometimes saw off the coast of the shore. It was too tall to be any of them. As it came nearer, they could see that it was nothing they had ever seen before, but maybe something that their parents' might have. It was very... alien.

"What is that thing," Erik asked.

"I don't know, but it looks like it's heading straight for us," Atticus said.

The huge, grey, alien ship of some sort ha turned to the side of their little ice floe and the floe was now moving up and down from the tremendous waves it was creating.

"What is it," Skyler, Veronica and Nathan screamed. everyone gathered together in a huddle as it groaned and creaked.

Suddenly, a whirring sound was heard and they looked up to see a cylinder-like thing with a coil of some sort being wound up automatically. The ice floe they were on then abruptly tipped over to the side, causing the chicks to top with it. They screamed as they started falling, falling towards the water below. Once they hit it, it was game over for them, since they weren't ready to swim. They all shut their eyes tightly and prepared to hit the freezing cold water when, they fell on something hard and tight. Opening their eyes, they saw the water below them, but they were... rising above it?

The ice floe had nearly tipped completely over them, but the crashing side was being held back in this some sort of tight, hard net, the same one they're on. They saw the water growing farther and farther away as they were lifted into the sir. They heard a cranking sound and felt them swing through the air. They looked overt and saw the alien ship they were coming closer to. They saw a floor where some strange beings stood.

One started motioning his flipper, or whatsoever they call it, towards them and the chicks immediately felt the next swing towards the alien. They bunched together as far as they could away from him/her/whatever. The net lowered to the floor and they sensed the floe getting closer to toppling over them. They saw two more aliens appear and the one's side and once the net fell completely down they saw them use their.. um, whatever they called their weird flippers, to grasp the piece of ice, move it over the thing fencing the sides of the ship, and push out back into the water. The chicks watched as it fell in and cracked apart as it hit the water with a tall and loud splash.

They turned back towards the aliens. They saw them crouch down and begin to reach out and shoo them away. They quickly moved away from them, until they were off the net and pinned towards the weird, cold, grey and hard wall behind them. They saw the aliens take the net and throw it back over the side.

The chicks looked at each other, fear eminent in their eyes and expression. Just where were they and what was going to happen to the next?

* * *

 **And.. done. Sorry for the long wait. School's back for me and my computer is now also my note-taking and study guide. My apologies for making you wait so long.**

 **Anyways, so now the chicks are on the human ship, but just why are they on there and what things will they meet while there on board? Tune in next time to find out. Please review! Sincerely, v.t.7**


	5. Entering

**Chapter 5** _ **E**_ ** _ntering_**

 **Recap of the last chapter: Mumble, Gloria, Seymour and Violet rush time in time to warn the colony of the iceberg's approach. The manage to get everyone out in time before they can all be trapped, but are left without a home, forcing them to trek till they find a place to settle down. Meanwhile, the chicks discuss what they're going to do now while there on the ice floe, only for a human ship to come up and to fish them out. What's going to happen to them now? Who will they meet? Well just read to find out!**

 **I own nothing. Happy Feet 1 &2 and all its content belongs to its original music, "Fire Burning" by Sean Kingston belongs to its original owners as well, I do not own it. I altered a few lyrics for the purpose of this story, but nothing more. ****Skyler the Elf Owl and I only own our OC's and WaterBendingQueen88 owns her OC's, Eria and Matt.**

 **Enjoy the story!**

* * *

"Lovelace," Bo was the first to break the silence as she and the other chicks stared at the Macaroni penguin in front of them.

The recognized his bulky build, his brown eyes and yellow feathers on the side of his head, but something was different about him. After looking down a bit more, they realized what it was. Starting from his neck, circling all around his back, sides and torso, and down to his legs, was some sort of brightly-colored covering, featuring every color they knew and some they didn't. A weird blue symbol was printed at the front of the article, right on his chest.

They all knew Lovelace since their parents had taken them to Emperor land and introduced them to him. Skyler and Veronica were taking narrating lessons and storytelling lessons from him.

Aside from him was another penguin, but not like one any of them had ever seen. He had thin black flippers, yellow-flowing feathers on the side of his head like a Macaroni penguin, and a huge, I mean really huge, orange and red beak. Seriously, it like up most of his face.

"Well, hello there little ones. What are you doing out here on the wild and woolly ocean," Lovelace asked. then the weird penguin came up to his side.

"Uh, Lovelace. Pardon me...," he asked in a foreign accent like none of them had ever heard, "..but you know these little ones?"

"Oh, right, right. Chicks, I like you all to meet my savior, my friend, Sven," Lovelace sang out, pointing to him with his flippers.

"Hello," Sven said, waving a flipper towards them.

"Hi there. I'm Boadicea, Bo for short, and these are my friends, Nathan and his brother, Andrew, Erik and his siblings, Erika and Skyler, and my siblings, Atticus and Veronica," Bo introduced.

"Nice to meet you all. Now, how do you all know Lovelace here," Sven asked.

"Oh, we know him through our parents. Me and Veronica actually take storytelling lessons from him," Skyler spoke up.

"Yep, he's a very good teacher," Veronica added.

"Charming," Sven said.

"So, where do you come from," Erik asked. Sven dipped his head solemnly on his chest, his eyes downcast.

"Well, um, y-you see. Well, Lovelace, could you please tell them what happened to my homeland," he asked quietly.

"Of course, Sven. You see, Lovelace comes from a place, far, far away called Svenland. Its destruction brought him through unknown lands where he fought against fearsome beasts. He finally was set adrift before he met the aliens on th-"

"Aliens," the chicks yelled all at once, cutting him off. Sven nodded his head.

"Yes, little ones. They are the ones who own this big ship. It was one day when they came and rescued me from exhaustion. I am now their friend," Sven explained.

"So how Lovelace come on board," Andrew asked. Lovelace smiled proudly.

"Well that is a very excellent question for a very excellent story. I had swam out into the ocean when a thick cloud of black goop had caught up to me. I could not swim or get out of it as it ensnared me, not one bit. I was beginning to drown in the thick black death until I rose up out of the water, and came here. I was bathed and fluffed by the aliens who gave me this majestic robe," Lovelace explained, sashaying from side to side to show off his garment. "Here I met Sven and we have been friends ever since."

Sven nodded and smiled. "So, how did you chickies land on this ship, right in the middle of the ocean with no sign of your mamas or papas," he asked. The chicks expressions grew sad and the adults grew concerned.

"Well, w-we were together y-yesterday, but-," Skyler started, but Atticus continued for him.

"Ya see, Erik had been made fun by the chicks after he fell on his head in front of everyone. So he, Bo and I decided to run away and live out on our own. We followed Ramon who told us to go back, but then our parents came, followed by our siblings and the two brothers over there and their parents. Then, boom! The ice started shaking and we saw a huge iceberg heading straight towards Emperor land. Our parents were gonna head back home with us to warn everyone, but then the ice shook again and we all got stranded on a floe, yo, headed out to sea!"

"Our parents promised they come after us, but we haven't seen them since we broke off," Erik added sadly. He looked up shocked as he felt and saw Sven lean over and pat him softly with his wing. Erik gave him a confused look, before smiling.

"Atta boy, little Erik. You know, many a brave warriors called Erik are from where I come," Sven comforted. Erik looked wide-eyed at him.

"Really," he asked.

"Ya," Sven replied. He looked back to everyone."Now little ones. I'm truly sorry for what happened to you and your mamas and papas. I cannot be certain where this ship leads, but one thing we need to know is that, whatever the weather, we need to stay together."

The chicks looked at each other, pondering his words and taking them to heart. Then, if you were one of the aliens on the ship and had went to check up on the chicks, you would had found a sight that would had made your heart melt!

The chicks rushed forward, flippers out, and hugged Lovelace and Sven. Considering that there was eight chicks and two adults, well, I'm sure you can do the math.

After a moment's shock worth, the concept finally wrapped itself around their brains and they copied the hug, careful not to squeeze the chicks too much but also to make them all feel safe here.

Who knows what might lie ahead for them on this alien ship?

* * *

A day and a half. That's how much it took for the Emperors of Emperor land to get to Adelie land. Normally it would had taken them individually about 2-3 hours to get there, depending on the kind of day, but the entire colony was fleeing and they needed to get to a safe place with food and shelter quick.

Our parents had moved ahead and were leading the colony right behind Ramon. Not only was he anxious to help his friends and their species, but he was also excited to get home and see his brothers, the Amigos again! After the fish supply had been saved, Ramon had joined the Emperor group and had lived in their home for awhile while the other Amigos stayed back.

 _"Man oh man. Will they be surprised at this,"_ Ramon thought as he waddled on faster. Being smaller than the Emperors, he had to waddle a bit faster than them to risk not being stepped or trampled on.

The calm blue sea to their right, blocked by a fence of ice poking up. Everyone who saw it felt a feeling of queasiness rise up in them. The ice kept them from heading into the ocean like barb-wire. Anyone heading into the ocean through that route would be impaled and become bait for any sea-faring predators. Adelie land was there only option left for survival till a plan was formed.

A few Chinstrap, Adelie, Magellanic and Little penguins could already be seen walking around the beach, surveying the damage done. Their shock was doubled as they saw the great procession of Emperors along the beach, ranging from the Elders to the chicks of this season. They could only gape and wonder why the sight was before them.

Before long, the could see the gap between the ocean and the mountain range surrounding Adelie land. Luckily the coastline was free of ice shards, meaning the waters were still safe to go in and out. They could fish, but only with the colony's approval. If the majority said no, then it was no and it meant they had to go somewhere else for fish and shelter.

"Ramon," a voice called out. Said penguin looked out and saw four Adelies like himself heading straight towards him. "Amigos" he cried out joyfully, running to embrace his band of brothers.

"I can't believe it," Nestor cried as he tackled him along with the three others.

"Yeah, baby! I'm back in the band," Ramon replied as his friends got him back onto his feet again. They then noticed Mumble and the others, and the entire colony behind them.

"Whoa, Mumble and friends. And lots and lots of friends," Lombardo commented.

"Yeah man. How many friends do you got here now," Nestor asked.

"Plenty and more. Listen, Emperor land has been destroyed by a giant iceberg. We managed to evacuate everyone before we became trapped, but there's no way in or out of it. So, we were wondering, could we fish in your waters till we find a new home," Mumble asked. The Amigos looked at, then to Ramon who nodded, then to each other.

"Well, it really isn't our entire decision to make, see," Raul said.

"You see, we need the entire, or most of the colony here's vote," Rinaldo explained.

"But what of Lovelace. I'm sure he could get the colony's approval," Ramon asked.

"Man, you've been away too long. Lovelace went on another path of enlightenment. No penguins seen him for weeks now," Lombardo explained.

"We don't know if he's dead, or just hiding. But who knows, maybe he'll come back even more 'enlightened' than before from traveling to the mystic, forbidden shores," Nestor teased.

"Well, can you at least try and get the Emperors on the colony's good side," Gloria asked. The Amigos stared at them before cheering.

"Oh yeah," Raul cheered.

"Oh, most definitely, senora Gloria," Rinaldo said.

"Just follow us, but leave a few of the rest behind," Lombardo said. Violet and Seymour sighed, knowing that they would have to be the ones to tell the others to stay behind.

It wasn't going to be easy, that's for sure.

* * *

The colony was just the same as ever, just more penguin species instead of just Adelies. Chinstrap, Adelie, Magellanic and Little penguins were mixed in-between, plus some Africans too. It was just so, different.

Some voices called out and everyone turned to their owners. Two King penguins, going up to Mumble's belly in height, came waddling towards them. The Amigos ran out to greet them, Ramon and the others coming from behind them.

"Eria! Matt! How've ya been," the Amigos called out as they stopped in front of them. The two Kings greeted them joyfully and wrapped them in hugs with their flippers.

"Wonderful, wonderful! Thank you," the male said.

"Just fine! But who are they," the female asked.

"Oh them, there no one... except Ramon and the four that saved the entire penguin race and invented the tappity-tappity dancing and stuff," the Amigos praised. The Emperors blushed. The female's beak fell down and her eyes grew wide.

"T-they're the ones who invented dancing," she whispered to them.

"Yes indeed. Wanna meet them," Nestor asked. The female wasted no time and waddled over to them, followed closely by the male.

Om my Guin. Oh my Guin! OH MY GUIN! It really is you guys, the creators of dance and the saviors of all of penguin kind. We adore you guys," the female said. Then the male came up to her side.

Um, sweetheart, first let us introduce ourselves before explaining to them, I mean, unless they don't want to hear us out," the male stammered. The female lightly bopped him on the beak.

"Your so cute when your nervous, baby. Anyways, my name is Eria and this is my husband, Matt. We absolutely love your work, Eria explained. The Emperors smiled at them.

"Oh, well thank you," Mumble said.

"So, what kind of dances can you do," Violet asked. Eria grin grew wider.

"Oh! I do tap and he does samba. W-would it be alright if we showed you our work," she asked. The crew grinned and looked at the Amigos.

"Go ahead, amigos and senoras." "Yeah, let the show you what they got!" "And they got it, the Amigos cheered.

"Well okay then. Hey Amigos, give me a beat and a song to dance to," Mumble asked. The amigos nodded and a few penguins gathered together to see the dance-skills about to be shown.

 _"Whoo!  
Somebody call 911!  
'Cause some penguins burning up on the dance floor!  
Oh whoah!"_

Mumble and Violet took to the center of the circle of penguins. Mumble began tapping his feet and Violet started twisting and twirling.

 _"Uh! Kick start! Let's go, hey!"_

They looked over to Eria and Matt and were surprised to see Eria copying Mumble's moves perfectly, adding some flexible movements into her routine. Matt began sambaing and tapping his feet as he spun around.

 _"Uh, they got that super thing.  
Hotter than the sun in the south of this plane.  
Got us soon as they walked through the door. (Oooh).  
Our feet got a tingling in them as they spin and twist that thing.  
Got us wanna dancing with both the hims and the hers."_

The tapping grew harder and Mumble slid around with Violet tapping and turning alongside him. With Eria, she tapped circles around her mate while he shook his flippers and spun her around with him.

 _"They got us poppin', lockin', droppin', them penguins do._  
 _And I know you will when you see them too. (Oooh)._  
 _We got them fast, hard beat and them tappin' feet._  
 _It's as cool as ice, 'n hot like fire._  
 _Somebody call 911, 'cause them penguins burnin' it up on the dance floor. (Oooh)._  
 _They gotta cool right down, before they drop and hit the ground on the dance floor. (Oooh)."_

Feet seem to grow hot with friction and tiredness, but no way would they stop till they were done. Eyes narrowed as feet tapped over the ice like it was hot coals. What started as a showing-off dance-skills now had become an out-do competition. No way either team was going to back down, for none was going to lose.

 _"They fire burnin', fire burnin', on the dance floor._  
 _They're fire burnin', fire burnin' on the dance floor._  
 _Them penguins are burnin' up on the dance floor._  
 _Them penguins burnin' up on the dance floor!  
_ _Ooooh!"_

Bam! Mumble and Violet, Eria and Matt slammed down their foot and pointed towards each other. The crowd cheered. Both were flawless dances, each inspired by the beat and rhythm of the music while adding in flexible and hot moves into it. Both teams had excelled greatly. Both stared at each other for a brief second, before breaking out into laughter and bowing towards each other and the audience.

After the crowd had backed away a bit, the Amigos came running up to them.

"Oh yeah!" "You guys rocked it out there!" "Bravo, encore. Magnificent!" "Spectacular" the Amigos cheered. Seymour and Gloria came up and gave their friends congratulatory hugs. Gloria then came up to the King penguins.

"Hey you two. Nice dancing out there. Very impressive," she complimented. The pair swelled up with pride.

"Thank you," both replied.

"Yeah, good dancin' to a good son, ya dig. Just one other thing, I heard you two singin' out there too. You sing good," Seymour added. Both of them blushed and thanked him.

"Yeah, me and her sing a bit, but, ah, not to much. Only to compliment each other's dancing, if you know what I mean," Matt explained. Each of them nodded.

"Well, we've never been able to sing, so we've mainly just relied on each other for aiding in our music," Mumble said. Both Kings nodded too.

Lombardo then came up between them. "Hey, hate to break up the conversation, but there's something going on with the Emperors at this point." The four gasped in shock, they had completely lost their train of thought an the task at hand. Er, flipper.

"Oh, that's right. Eria, Matt, could we ask a favor of you," Mumble asked

"Sure, what is it," Eria replied.

"Yeah, what can we do to help," Matt said.

"Our home, Emperor land, has been blocked and destroyed by a giant iceberg. We managed to evacuate everyone before we became trapped, but there's no way in or out of it and for now we're outcast, the entire colony. "

Both Kings gasped and looked at each other. Eria was first to reply. "That's terrible."

"I can hardly imagine it, your entire colony, being forced out of your homeland by an iceberg that came out of nowhere. It's just too horrible to think about," Matt said.

"Yeah. So could you please go around and ask everyone if it is okay for the Emperors to fish here and camp out just outside Adelie land," Gloria asked. Both of them nodded.

"Sure thing," Matt said.

"We'll help. We'll tell every penguin we know," Eria said. In an instant, both had waddled over to a group of penguins, all mixed species, and began to talk to them.

"Well one more problem solved now," Seymour commented.

"Right. C'mon, let's tell the others," Gloria said and the three started heading back in the direction they came. Mumble was last, left only with Ramon by his side.

"Hey, don't worry fluffito. We gonna take care of this. Head back to your colony while we take care of the rest here," Ramon assured.

"Thanks friend. I knew I could count on you," Mumble said and he began to walk after his friend, leaving Ramon alone.

"Okay, now to tell some penguins," he said to himself. He heard giggling and turned to see some female, Adelie penguins laughing together.

"And maybe some penguin chicas," Ramon suggested and off he headed in their direction.

* * *

Meanwhile, back with the chicks, the boat they were sailing on rose up and fell back down over the waves as they sailed. The aliens had shown the chicks to some weird fur-things that weren't quite fur and weren't quite feathers, but were really soft and there was a great mound of them all together in a corner.

Bo had taken some fun in sliding and tumbling down them. "Whee! This is fun. You have to try this," she cried out. Skyler, Erika and Andrew were really the only with enough energy from the day to go for a few rounds.

After a long day of being stick on the floe and being pulled out by the aliens and meeting new friends with old ones the chicks were exhausted and more than willing to go to sleep. They gathered in on a light yellow and flat soft-thing and huddled together to get warmer quicker. Before they could fall asleep though, they heard to pairs of feet and they opened their eyes just enough to see Lovelace and Sven coming with fish in their beaks. It was a sight worth staring at.

Lovelace had two fish in his mouth, three under each flipper and was kicking two on the ground. Sven had the same number in his flippers, was kicking three on the ground and held... eight fish in his beak. All gaped in awe as he walked towards their bedside.

"Hello, little ones," he spoke through a beak full of fish. He spit them out and lined them neatly in a row on the bed, moving his other ones and Lovelace's as well.

"We have come bearing fish so you will all be plump and fatty," he said jovially. The chicks giggled at his accent and words before going to eat the fish with good appetites. Both grinned as the fish soon disappeared into the chick's beaks and into their stomachs.

"Well if that's all you chicks need, then goodnight! Sleep tight! Don't let the sea ticks bite," Sven called before he and Lovelace started heading out the door. Before they could leave, they heard a chick whisper.

"Um, please sir."

"What," Sven asked as he turned around. Blue eyes belonging to a boy chick stared back.

"Please sir, but could you tell us a bedtime story," Erik asked. Sven looked at him before walking back over to him.

"Well it depends. Will you go to sleep afterwards?"

"Yes," was his reply as a chorus of chicks' voices came together with the same answer.

"Very well then. I will tell you a story about my homeland," he said, adjusting himself by getting on a crate and getting at eye level with the chicks.

"Once upon a time, in my homeland..."

* * *

 **And I hope you enjoyed this chapter. First off, I know Sven has an accent, but I already wrote his lines down and plus I don't want anything else added to my spelling check dictionary for the rest of time. I decided to leave the ending like that since I wanted something sweet, yer I wanted to include Erik's relationship with Sven.**

 **Okay, I would like to thank** **WaterBendingQueen88 for her request for her two OC's: Eria and Matt in this story and if any of you readers would like to request an OC of yours in this story, just PM either me of Skyler the Elf Owl, my awesome co-collaborator in this story, and we'll work him/her/it into this story.**

 **See you all next time. Remember, reviews are loved and cherished, and I want to hear what you think. Sincerely, v.t.7**


	6. Stepping into

**Chapter 6** ** _Stepping Into_**

 **Last chapter: The colony needs fish and shelter before they can search for their new home, so the crew is sent to Adelie land to ask permission for fishing rights. They meet up with the rest of the Amigos who introduce them to Eria and Matt, two King penguins who love dancing and together they show off their skills. After a brief explanation, they agree to help the Emperors of Emperor land out.**

 **Meanwhile, the chicks are settling in for the first night on the ship and from there on out is where we will start this chapter.**

 **Enjoy the story!**

* * *

A loud screech and sudden blinding light broke the chicks out of their slumber as they tried to regain their vision and see what had woken them up. The tapping of footsteps and the light slap of webbed feet against the ground alerted them that Sven was there with possibly Lovelace close behind. It was. Both had fish in their beaks and were heading towards them.

"Good morning, little chickies. We bring ya fish, so eat them up, all nice and delicious," Sven said. The chicks smiled and stretched to regain full control over their limbs before they rushed out of bed and took a fish each from Lovelace or Sven, swallowing it in one gulp.

"Thank you," they all chorused.

"You're welcome," the two replied.

A sudden jolt shook the ground sending many of them off their feet and onto their butts, backs and bellies. The entire ship groaned and they could hear the huge crash of waves outside. Then suddenly... nothing. The ship just stopped. Each of them got back up to their feet and tried to help each other up too.

"What just happened," Andrew asked.

"The ship were on must have stopped," Sven explained. The door had slammed shut during the sudden movement, leaving them stuck inside until someone rescued them. Luckily, an alien opened it from the outside bringing the light and showing the exit in again. Then the alien stepped into the room with the penguins. The watched as he got behind them and started shooing them out the door with his... uh, weird flippers. Presently, all of them made it outside, only to be greeted with a most shocking sight.

The water below had turned from deep navy to one mixed with a color Sven had described and shown to them... green. The waves were crested with white as they peaked towards them. The ship they were on had stopped and when they turned to the front they could see why.

Land. Land unlike none other they had seen. Instead of smooth white plains, chunks of ice and snow covered ground combined with chill winds, this land was yellow? And the color Sven had spoken of was way out in the distance and mixed with the yellow too. Instead of icebergs, more ships towered in the sea. On land, great brown and grey structures stood over everything.

And the inhabitants. Too many aliens that they could count. The chicks huddled together, trying to seek comfort in their numbers.

"H-hey you guys," Nathan squeaked out. "Now I know how your parents must have felt when they met the aliens too." The chicks nodded back at him, not for pride at their parents, but with the fear that they must had felt to at the time.

Heavy thumps sent vibrations through the floor and the chicks, Sven and Lovelace saw three more aliens coming in, each carrying what appeared to be the soft, flexible things that the chicks had slept on last night. The aliens came before the chicks and gently kneeled down in front of them, unfolding the objects and spreading out on the floor before them. Then each of them gently shooed two off the chicks on to the soft things. What happened next the chicks never expected.

The aliens gently lifted up the soft things with them on it. The chicks quickly lost balance and fell onto their stomachs or tail feathers before trying to hold on to each other or the alien picking them up. The aliens stood up, each with two chicks in their weird flippers. Lovelace and Sven stared up at them, wondering what their alien friends intended to do with them.

"Sven. Where are they taking us," Erik called from where he and his sister, Erika, were being taken from. The aliens had begun walking outside so Lovelace and Sven began waddling after them.

"I don't know Erik. Just hang tight and wait and see to see where they be taking thee," Sven replied. Erik whimpered and hugged Erika tighter.

The way the aliens walked while they carried them felt way differently when their parents let them ride on their backs while belly sliding. The aliens' walk was more fluid, yet with a bouncy feel to it. The aliens walked past the railing and towards a part where it was missing. They all looked down to see black and weirdly shaped steps heading down to the shore where a few more aliens were. They felt the aliens' grips tighten on them as they filed into one line and went down the stairs.

The sound of waves and the familiar crunch of land heard beneath the aliens' feet made them feel more relaxed, but their was a mixture of aromas in the air that kept them wondering. Fish was part of the scents, but also many others, others they didn't know. Ones they had never inhaled before. They smelled awful.

They heard loud noises too, none they had ever heard before. Ones that rang through their heads and vibrated through their brains, giving splitting headaches. They didn't like this place, not at all.

Three more aliens approached from a tan and green... thing that was bigger than the three of them put together. They bent down before Lovelace and Sven and gently grasped their sides and lifting them up, before carrying them to the thing.

"Whoa now. Watch the feathers," Lovelace called out to them.

"Yeah. Where are you taking us," Sven asked. His question was answered as they were placed in a depression on one of the sides of the object and into a pool filled with... snow?

"Hey, there's the snow in here chickies," Sven called out to his friends. The ice felt a bit coarser to how he remembered it, but who cares? It was still fresh snow! The chicks were then carried over and placed in the spot where they were.

"It is snow," Skyler said, kicking a small bit to emphasize her point.

"Yay! Snow," Veronica called out an drifted some with her flippers and threw it into the air.

"It seems a bit more like crunched ice to me," Lovelace commented.

"Well it still looks like snow, and it's cold, so it's almost like snow," Veronica replied.

A sound rumbled from the ground and huge object they were on and they could hear it to. The floor shook, knocking them again off their feet for the second time that day. Suddenly another thing happened, they saw the outside scenery start to move. Then it hit the, they were moving. The aliens behind them that had lifted them into this thing were now becoming smaller and smaller as they became farther away into the distance.

"Where are we going you guys," Nathan asked.

"I don't know. I guess we'll just wait and see to find out," Atticus replied.

* * *

Two hours later and the machine they were on finally slowed down to a stop. By then, the entire scenery had changed. Instead of huge black and grey alien ships stopping at the edge of land while still in the water. Now instead they had been going down a dusty, tan path with weird things sticking out, ranging from up to their feet to way above even the taller alien's heads.

Definitely not home.

"Where are we you guys," Bo asked.

"Yeah. And why is it so hot," Atticus said, falling on his face into the snow-stuff.

"No clue. We can only hope there's someone here who can show us where we are and how to get back," Sven replied. They felt a bump underneath them, causing Skyler, Erika and Andrew to fall forward. They were helped up by the others.

"Thanks," they replied.

Something opened and then slammed shut before they heard the crunching of footsteps as the aliens came out, all three of them. they lowered a wall and slid the pool of snow they were in out and set it down on a silver, square thing that was lower on the ground. They then took a handle on the sides of the pool and began wheeling them into a structure of some sort. The chicks shivered as they entered a dark room wondering where they were going. They then saw a light up ahead and hoped that was where they were being taken too.

Bright light seared their eyes, forcing them to shut them as they moved. When they re-opened them, they were flabbergasted at the sight before them. There were penguins! African penguins, one of their rarer species found in Adelie land. The aliens gently set them down in the enclosure with the other penguins before going out the back way with the snow-stuff, sealing the entrance behind them. They all watched as they left.

"Greetings and welcome," a voice from behind called. They turned around to the girl African penguin behind them. Only going up 2-2 1/2 ft. tall, they could only go up to the chicks parents' legs.

"Um, hi. Can you please tell me where we are and how to get back to Emperor land," Erik timidly asked from the back. A large cackle laughed from behind the girl.

"Emperor land? Ha ha! What are you guys like royalty there or something," a male laughed. The girl shot him an angry look.

"Well our parents kind of are celebrities there," Atticus replied. The male stopped laughing and glared at them.

"Listen chickies, there ain't no such thing as penguin celebrities here, just peacocks, lions and the other animals here. So I suggest you keep your heads down low," he retorted in a mean voice.

"Evan! Shut your beak! They're new here and for Guin's sake, almost all of them are chicks, so lay off," the girl called. She then turned back at them. "I'm sorry for my mate's behavior. He's just grumpy and wary of new penguins. We don't really get too many here. Anyways, my name is Sasha, and I welcome you here."

"Thank you, miss," Sven said. "My name is Sven, and these are my friends. Lovelace, Erik and his sisters, Erika and Skyler, Atticus and his sisters, Bo and Veronica, and brothers, Andrew and Nathan."

"Charmed to meet you all. But, might I ask, why are there mostly chicks in your group," Sasha asked. The chicks looked at each other before Erika stepped up.

"Well, we we're supposed to be with our parents, until an iceberg separated us and sent us out to sea where we were found by the aliens and Lovelace was there and we also met Sven. Then we were taken here and we're not quite sure where here is," she said. Sasha was taken aback.

"Oh you poor darlings. I'm so sorry. You're at the zoo. It's where the aliens, or humans as they're called here, keep all these animals to look at or to care for before releasing us back into the wild," Sasha explained. The chicks gained a hopeful look on their faces.

"So it means we can go back home," Veronica asked.

"Well dear, um, its more complicated than that. Most of the creatures here are kept so that the species don't die out, so they can live and so that their are more of them in the future. But, then again, since your kind aren't very endangered, you could very well be sent home. Or kept here, I don't know. its complicated like I told you," Sasha replied. She noticed the disappointed looks on the chicks.

"But cheer up young ones. They take good care of the animals here. If you'll follow me, I'd be happy to introduce you to a few of them, though we aren't really allowed out of our spaces, we can still meet with some of them."

The chicks and the adults agreed. If they were going to be stuck here for awhile, then they had better get a little smart of their surroundings and the rest of the inhabitants they would be staying with.

* * *

The enclosure, as they soon found out, had two parts. An inside part with more of that weird snow stuff that fell from a machine on the ceiling. It was cooler in here than the outside which was nice and there were, what Sasha said, murals of Antarctica, which made them a little less homesick.

The outside part, which was where they were following Sasha in, was warmer with being outside in the sun in all. They were shocked how hot the weather was. Sasha explained that the landmass they were on was closer to the sun's rays. She also said that they didn't get snow, much to their utter shock. the nice thing was there was a pool of cool water in both places so that they could cool off if they got too hot. Though since the chicks couldn't swim yet, she said their was some nice shady spots with small slits in the building that amazingly shot out cool air for them.

She moved over to part of the edge of the enclosure surrounded by see-through plastic. They peered through it at the animals she was pointing too. They were birds, they said, like them, but they could fly. Parrots and lorikeets she said they were called. They all had curved beaks, thought the parrots had grey and red feathers while the lorikeets had multi-color feathers with so many colors it made their heads spin. They also squawked and talked a lot.

"The two on the branches are Mozart and Donnie. They're lorikeets since their smaller. the two bigger birds on the ground are parrots and their names are Lily and Isaac. Just a little heads up for you guys, they're really smart and they will by no means pass up a chance to prove it. Bunch of nerds, all of them, and there are way more of them but they're further away," Sasha explained. They could hear them speaking from where they were looking, which was at least fifteen feet away.

"Squawk," the parrot known as Lily, well, squawked. "Isaac. Did you know that they got new penguins and a puffin in the penguin enclosure?"

"Squawk. Yes, I believe they're the ones looking through the plastic at us," her counterpart replied. The chicks looked at each other, then at the adults.

"What's a puffin," Skyler asked.

"Me," Sven said, causing everyone to look at him. "I'm a puffin. We are like penguins, eat fish, swim in ocean, like the cold, yet we are different. Puffins live in the North, like Svenland which I told you is now gone. We are also very small, much smaller than penguins. And another thing...," he paused, "..we can fly." The chicks and Lovelace gasped.

"You can fly," Erik asked. Sven smiled at him.

"Yes, little one," he replied. Then Sven spread out his wings and began to flap them, and slowly, he started rising off the ground. He flapped harder and soon he was floating above all of them. They all gasped at him in awe as he began flying all around the enclosure, executing many aerial stunts mid-flight. He finally sett down slowly on the ground before them. The chicks all clapped their flippers and stamped their feet in excitement.

"Bravo, bravo. My, my, my. That was quite a performance," some voices from above them commented. Everyone looked up and saw three big birds, but they were way different from them, or the parrots and lorikeets. One had bright blue feathers all over his body while the other two were a glossy shade of brown. They had sharp, thin beaks and little feather crests on their heads. The blue one had a long, turquoise tail that draped obverse the other side of the enclosure.

"Oh, hi. Who are you," Skyler asked. The birds turned down to them.

"Oh, you were not aware of us from the other birds? Very well then," the brightly colored male said. "I am Kiburi, and these two, lovely ladies are Alice and Nevaeh. And together, we are the peacocks, the most popular and beautiful birds on earth!"

Then another voice from behind started giggling. Everyone turned to the side to see a really weird creature, one that was swinging on a bar in a cage nearby. He had the same number of limbs like the aliens-, right, humans, except he was much smaller and was covered in little, silvery-gray feathers, minus his face which was bare, and black. He had a very long tail the same color as his body and it was curled up on the bar while he hung down. His eyes were a bright red-brown.

"Ah, yes. The peacocks. The most vainest birds on earth. So vain that they could look into their reflection and not look away for days," he said. The chicks and other birds began to laugh while the peacocks remained unamused.

"Dash. Please cease with your cheeky tongue you silly, little monkey," Nevaeh ordered. The so-called monkey named Dash just laughed harder.

"Oh relax, will ya. I'm just fooling around. Plus I wanted to see the new arrivals," he replied. Kiburi sighed and turned back to the penguins and puffin.

"Everyone, this is Dash. He is the zoo's resident vervet monkey and the well-known 'class clown' around these parts," Alice explained.

"How do you do," Dash asked.

"Fine, thank you," the chicks replied. He chuckled a bit and got upright on a branch below him.

"Let's see. 1..2..3.. 8 penguin chicks, one puffin and one pasta penguin," Dash said. The chicks, Sven and even the peacocks giggled. Lovelace even cracked a smile.

"Nope, but you close. Try again," he bantered. Dash grinned and scratched his chin. (Hey it rhymed!)

"Hmm, let's se. Just gotta use my noodle. Hey! I got it. A pasta-noodle penguin," he said. Everyone laughed harder. Now Lovelace chuckled.

"One more try. Let's see if you get it right," he said. Dash smiled and came down to the ground of his enclosure.

"Just kidding, I know you're a Macaroni penguin. I can tell by your yellow, head feathers. But you rock, man! Not many creatures, much less birds," he looked at the peacocks, "Last that long with my joking around. You should be a Rockhopper penguin, 'cause you totally rocked," Dash replied.

"Well thank you man. Your comedy is fresh and very creative," Lovelace replied. Dash grinned and chuckled.

"Fresh and creative," another voice came from the left. They all turned to see a pair of two, wheat-colored and brown-spotted creatures peering from out behind a metal fence. Both started giggling.

"Please, if you want comedy, if you let us out we'll really show you what it is when we toss the fella up like a ball and play catch with him," one said. They both started laughing again, really loud and cackling. Lovelace narrowed his eyes, remembering the time when a pair of orcas had did just that to him and Mumble. Dash folded his arms and wrapped his tail around him with a scoff.

"Please now, you mangy mutts. We have some new guests here and so you best be on your best behavior," Sasha called out to them. The two just laughed harder.

"Puh-lease Sushi. Oh ho. That's a good one," one cackled. "The only time when the words 'hyenas' and 'best behavior' come into a sentence, it's when the words 'don't have a' in it," the other one chuckled. Sasha sighed and turned back to the penguins.

"Meet hyenas, Mikey and Kenny. Twin brothers, twin trouble. You do your best not to listen to them. Just a bunch of bullies if anything," Sasha explained. The chicks, Lovelace and Sven nodded.

"C'mon now, Sasha. We're just having a little fun," Mikey replied.

"Yeah. We can't help ourselves," Kenny agreed.

"I know, that's why hyena clans are ruled by the females," Sasha replied. Both were taken aback.

"Burn," Atticus, Dash ,and Kiburi said. They growled, before retreating back to the other side of their cage. The peacocks began to ruffle their feathers, sending down small down feathers.

"Ugh, scavengers. Gross creatures," Alice commented and shivered.

"Scavengers help the world by eating dead meat and clearing the savanna of germs," Mozart called out from his cage.

"Yeah, and be glad it's them and not us eating that gross, maggoty meat," Dash added.

"Eww," everyone replied. The peacocks looked ready to hurl.

"Okay, well that's enough excitement for one day. Goodbye everyone. C'mon girls, let's strut our stuff somewhere else," Kiburi said. The peahens nodded and flapped their wings to the ground in what looked like an attempt to slow their fall before rushing down the rock path to somewhere else.

"Yeah, it's my feeding time to, so see ya later," Dash said before climbing up a tree in his cage and into a hole in the wall, disappearing from sight. The parrots and lorikeets resumed chatting with one another.

"So... do you guys want to meet the rest of the animals living here," Sasha asked.

* * *

For the rest of the afternoon, Sasha showed the chicks around the rest of the zoo, or at least as far as they could in the enclosure, and they pretty much met, or at least saw, everyone.

They met Rico, Cameron and Pongo, a trio of cheetahs known around here as 'the jocks', Lucy and Mara, two friendly hedgehogs, a happy, energetic kangaroo named Kula, some lions cubs, part of the much bigger lion clan on a different part of the zoo, and a nice, but lonely giraffe named Beca. The chicks marveled over how tall she was, a much nicer, spotted creature, compared to the trouble making twin hyenas.

They were about to head back to the door that lead into their enclosure for feeding time, when Sven stopped the group when he saw something. Way on the left side of the enclosure, almost hidden by the inner building, he spotted something lying down in a cage, head buried in its arms.

"Hey," Veronica called out to it. "Are you okay?" The creature shifted and turned over, looking away from them. Veronica wasn't fazed and just tried harder. "Hey! Can you hear me," she yelled. The creature finally turned their head far enough to look at them.

"What," he asked. They could now see that he had grey-hazel eyes.

"Sorry to bother you sir, but we were wondering if you were sad, because you look sad from over here," Veronica said. The creature finally got onto his feet and moved closer to the right so that they could get a better look at him. He was huge, not as huge as Beca the giraffe, but was bulkier and larger than the cheetahs and hyenas. He had mostly tan-gold fur, but they could see that he had some darker lines on him, wait sorry, stripes on him.

"Why am I sad? Why am I sad!? Do you know why I'm said," he started to growl at them. The chicks, Lovelace and Sven started to shrink back.

"No, but if you could just tell us, then maybe we could understand," Veronica replied. He lessened his growling.

"Look at me. I'm a freak! Half lion, half tiger, a liger! A hybrid of two species! My father was a lion and my mother of a tigress and I'm their freak son! Not enough striped to be a tiger and I don't have a mane to be considered a lion. How do you think I feel," he asked, growing angry. He then plopped down again and placed his face in his paws again. Silence hung in the air like a veil.

"I'm sorry sir," Veronica said, breaking the silence. "I didn't know. But hey, you're not the only one freaky and different from everyone and their parents. Take me for example. I have brown feathers on my head like a ponytail while my parents don't. Sky here has them too and neither of her parents don't. Come over here Skyler," Veronica said, waving a flipper at her. She came closer into view. The liger looked up at them.

"See, brown feathers and bangs. Plus she has blue eyes while her parents don't. It's different from everyone else's. She, Erika and Erik have blue eyes just like their dad, but aside from me, nobody else in our colony has them. Their mom even has violet eyes, no one else has them too. Plus we all have different abilities that make us different from everyone else. Me and Sky like storytelling over music and performing," Veronica continue. Skyler nodded.

"I cartwheel and yodel," Bo said.

"We take turns singing," Andrew and Nathan said at the same time.

"I like to listen rather than sing," Erika admitted.

"I teach the art of storytelling and learn customs of other lands while everyone else doesn't," Lovelace added. He pumped out his chest to show off his sweater more for emphasis.

"I'm more robust than the other chicks my age," Atticus commented.

"I'm a puffin, yet I feel more at home with the penguins," Sven added.

"I can't dance like my Pa, though I look just like him," Erik finished. Bo placed a flipper on his shoulder and gave him a one-sided hug.

"See, we're all different, but it's our differences that make us unique. Being the same means everything's boring," Veronica said.

"Variety is the spice of life," Sven added.

"So don't think of yourself as a freak. You're different and unique in your own special way. And honestly," Veronica paused, "I like your kind of uniqueness. It suits you." The liger smiled.

"Thanks," he said quietly. Veronica and everyone else smiled back. "You're welcome. Now please don't mind me saying this, but what's your name? We didn't get it before.

"Zach. It's Zach, short for Zachary," Zach said.

"Zach. I like it. It's unique too. I'm Veronica, in-case I didn't tell you earlier. These are my siblings, Atticus and Bo, my best friend and her siblings, Skyler, Erik and Erika, our friends, Andrew and Nathan, Skyler's and my teacher, Lovelace, and this is our friend, Sven," Veronica explain.

"Hello," Zach said.

"Hi," everyone else replied. Just then, Sasha called to them.

"Hey you guys! Come on if you want to get your dinner," she called, standing near a human with a carry-case of some sort with fish inside. Almost all of the African penguins were gathered around her.

"Coming," Sven called back for the group. They started moving to the fish, but Veronica stayed back for a second.

"I gotta go Zach. It's dinnertime, but I'll see you again soon," she said.

"Wait" he called out and she stopped. "So... does this mean we're friends," he asked. Veronica looked back a smiled.

"I think so. I'll see you tomorrow, I promise," she replied.

"Veronica," Skyler called from the feeding circle.

"Coming! I gotta go. Bye Zach," she called before heading off to join the others.

"Bye," Zach whispered back. He then went back to his comfy spot, laying down again. But this time, he didn't bury his muzzle in his paws for once.

Maybe it was because of the new arrivals for this new change for once. He then closed his eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Took a few searches for animals, but it turned out great in the end. For those who are confused of who's who at the zoo, here's a little list:**

 **Sasha: African penguin, mate to Evan, who's really grumpy.  
** **Mikey and Kenny: Twin hyenas, 'the troublemakers'  
** **Dash: vervet monkey, 'the class-clown'  
** **Zach: liger, considered 'the freak'  
** **Kiburi, Alice and Nevaeh: peacocks, 'the popular ones'  
** **Pongo, Cameron and Rico: cheetah trio, 'the jocks'  
** **Beca: giraffe, 'the loner'  
** **Lucy and Mara: hedgehogs  
** **Kula: kangaroo, very happy and energetic  
** **Issac and Lily: parrots, 'the nerds'  
** **Mozart and Donnie: lorikeets, 'the nerds'**

 **Sorry for so many, but its a zoo for crying out loud. Also I personally like hyenas and don't consider them to be all like... mm, well, ever see "The Lion King"?**

 **Please review and we'll see you next time! Remember, reviews are loved and cherished. Sincerely, v.t.7**


	7. Adjusting

**Chapter 7** ** _Adjusting_**

 **Summary: the chicks, Sven and Lovelace now have been placed in a zoo where they meet new friends and make new enemies. How will the adjust to their new environment. Well, read to find out!**

 **I own nothing. Happy Feet 1 &2 and all its content belongs to its original owners. Skyler the Elf Owl and I only own our OC's and WaterBendingQueen88 owns her OC's, Eria and Matt.**

 **Enjoy the story!**

* * *

A week had gone by for the chicks, Sven and Lovelace and they would have to say that they were adjusting nicely. Sasha helped out hugely, what with showing them around and introducing them to some of her close friends. She also showed them what was the best chance to get the most fish from the humans during feeding time.

The other animals they had met, aside from the jerk hyenas twins, had also helped. They explained things of 'how' and 'why' about this place and did their best to help the chicks feel more at home here, or at least tell them how to feel more at home here. But not to say they didn't still miss their home and parents.

The friends they made did try their best, but sometimes their comfort wasn't enough to make them feel better. Many times one of them woke up crying from a dream they had of the day they got separated. The only real comfort they could receive was from their sibling(s).

They could only really hope that they could be again with them soon.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Antarctica, Eria and Matt had stayed true to their word and with their help and the Amigos they were able to convince the rest/majority of the penguins in Adelie land to allow the Emperors to fish on their shores. Everyone one was thankful for the privilege granted to them, but they all still had a little part in them that was worried about where they would go next for their quest to find a new home.

But that wasn't the only worry on the penguin's minds. Mumble, Gloria, Violet, Seymour, Krista and Cole were worried for their chicks. For over a week now, their chicks had never been far from their thoughts. Were they safe? Were they even alive? Would they ever be seen again? So many questions, but no answers. They could only pray and hope that maybe, just maybe, they had survived the ocean.

Their behavior as of late had not gone unnoticed. A few members of the colony had given their sympathies to the heroes of emperor land and their parents had done their best to sooth their grief. And as of now, another well-known and respected member of the colony was there to give consolation to them.

None other than Noah, the high penguin Elder.

Not much was known about him, but what was is that he was the eldest penguin among them, having lived for more years then anyone else. His wisdom was what the others sought for and often came to him for advise and guidance. While he held strictly to traditions and was not too happy when the four had brought this 'pagan movement' to the colony a year before, he still was reasonable and was more supportive off the harmony within the colony.

Yet it still came quite a shock to them when they saw him approaching. Though they no longer feared him for him exiling them a year ago, they still felt mildly intimidated by his presence, like one might feel before a king. Mumble stepped forward first, since he was considered the head of the group and the main speaker.

"Noah. Nice to see you, but why are you here," he asked. The high Elder was thinner than most penguins, plus his feathers were outlined with grey ones against the back. One could get a sense of the wisdom he had picked up from over the years of serving.

"Hello Mumble Happy Feet and close friends. I was hoping that I could find you here," the old penguin greeted. Violet stepped up to him after Mumble did.

"Is there something wrong Noah, I mean, aside from what has already happened," she asked. The Elder nodded.

"Yes, but it lies within a group of penguins here. A particular group of six penguins who recently lost their chicks to an ice floe on the ocean lately," he replied. The ix dipped their heads in sadness.

"We're going to find them," Cole said seriously. Noah shook his head.

"Not with the fate of the entire colony at stake. You play such a key role in the preservation of our colony. We just can't have you all just go out there and find your chicks with no idea where they are or how you'll get to them if they are out there," he explained.

"But Noah," Mumble began to protest, but Noah help up a flipper to silence them.

"You didn't let me finish, Mr. Happy Feet. I said not 'all' of you can go out and find them, but one or two of you would be an acceptable number to go out there," he said, before turning to go, leaving them where they were. The others stared at him before at each other.

"D-did he just let us off the hook to go find our kids," Seymour asked.

"Kind of. He meant for only one or two of us to go while the rest stays here to help the colony out," Gloria explained.

"Well then, who stays and who goes," Krista asked.

"I'll go," came five voices.

"You can't go all together! What about the colony. They're counting on us to help find a new place to live. If we all go, then who will stay behind and watch the colony," Krista asked. Each of them looked at each other again, trying to figure out the answer. The colony did need them, but their chicks also needed them. And they needed them too.

"I'll go, you all stay," Mumble spoke up then. They stared him before shaking their heads. He couldn't go, in their group he was pretty much the leader of them. He always was the one who came up with the ideas and plans, plus he was their main motivational speaker. He couldn't just go off and leave them clueless of what to do. Plus, what would Violet do if we disappeared?

"No, no you can't go. You're too important to leave off on some random mission to find all our chicks. Noah is right, we don't know where they are or even if their still out there. I won't having yourself risk your life out there," Violet finished sadly. Mumble waddled over to her and gently touched her flipper with his.

"Vi', I know its dangerous out there, and hey, the odds of finding our chicks are very thin, but I know, I just know, that they're out there. Somewhere. And I know I can find them if you'll just let me go," he said. Violet nodded and two tears slipped out of her namesake eyes. Mumble quickly brushed them away.

"I'll be back soon. I promise." He then turned back to his friends. "Make sure the colony is safe while I'm gone. Ask Eria, Matt and the Amigos for help is you need it too."

"On it," Seymour replied.

"And Mumble," Violet started. He turned to look at her. "Be safe." He nodded.

"I'll be back soon," he replied, and began heading towards the ocean, leaving behind his wife and four friends to take charge of the colony and to hopefully lead them to someplace safe.

* * *

"So you see Zach, we penguins eat seafood since it's what we have back home," Veronica said to the liger across from her. He had been curious of why they ate so much fish everyday and not get sick of it.

"Well I still think you should have something different, like this white meat chicken, to give some variety in your diet," he said as he snacked on some of the meat. Veronica cringed a bit. After talking with Sasha, she had learned the hard way what Zach ate. Sven had fainted after hearing it and tried his best to stay away from him, despite Zach telling him that he would not eat him and there wan't even a way he could get out of his enclosure and into there's.

"Yeah... anyways, can you tell me a bit more about Africa," she asked. After hearing what land they were on, the chicks hadn't been able to stop asking about it. To be honest, many of the other animals were sick of answering. Zach rolled his eyes.

"Fine, but only if you let me eat my lunch afterwards," he said. Veronica nodded her head rapidly and signaled the other chicks to come listen.

"Okay, so like I said, this place is way up further North then where you are, and its closer to the middle of the earth, the Equator, so it gets most of the sun's rays which makes it warmer," he explained.

"Yes, but what about the land itself," Bo asked.

"If you don't stop interrupting me then you'll never know," he replied. Bo immediately placed her flippers over her beak.

"Anyways, since the land is much hotter than where you come from, things grow much faster. The plants like the ones you can see somewhat around us-," he pointed to the trees, flowers, bushes and vines, "-grow very fast, and that means a lot of animals that eat the plants can grow quickly too. Animals like monkeys and parrots who eat the plants or stuff from the plants. And that means meat-eaters like myself and those two over there," he said as he looked at the hyena bros, "have lots to eat too."

"Are there penguins that live in Africa too," Erik asked.

"Yes, and that is where we come in," came a voice and Sasha waddled over to them. "African penguins, such as myself, live near the coast and swim and fish in the cold waters."

"I was gonna say that," Zach pouted.

"Well I beat you to it. Now go eat your meat and let the chicks eat their lunch, though it is nice to see you interacting with other creatures. Their arrival has made you more open-going then before, Zachery," Sasha said. Zach scoffed but obediently started eating his meal.

"Zachery," Erik asked. Sasha chuckled and Zach pretended not to notice.

"His full name. Now c'mon, little ones. Time to eat," Sasha said. The chicks said their goodbyes to Zach and headed towards the zookeeper with their daily meal.

* * *

Meanwhile, the hyena brothers were watching the penguins waddle off while sitting in their enclosure. Mikey and Kenny both smirked as the chicks didn't even notice them as they watched them from afar, completely unknown to them. What they didn't know is that the hyenas were planning to get the chicks into trouble.

If someone had been looking in the hyena enclosure at the time, they would had seen two logs, one on top of the other in the form of a crude see-saw. On one end of the top log was an indentation, capable of holding, meh, a tennis ball roughly. And that was what was in there. A tennis ball. A partially-chewed, dirty tennis ball.

"Ready to fire, brother," Kenny asked. Mikey saluted him.

"Yes, I just hope it gets in this time. Three sticks, two tennis balls and my favorite chew toy gone from misfiring isn't exactly a proud thing to say when your about to really aim for something," Mikey whined in reply. Kenny just growled in reply. Mikey held up his paws in surrender. Being second born did have some disadvantages. "Whoa, whoa! I get the drift. I'm firing, I'm firing," he said before hopping onto a rock platform just about a foot above the seesaw/catapult nearby.

"Here goes nothing. Gueranamo," he cried out as he hopped down on the other side of the wood, sending the other side up and the tennis ball flying into the air, over the hyena enclosure, over the path between the enclosure and straight into the penguin enclosure where it landed out of sight with a loud thump. The two brothers listened in to hear if anyone had been startled or screamed from the sudden projectile. Five seconds passed and they still didn't hear anything.

"Um, maybe it overshot," Mikey offered. Kenny glared at him and was about to reply, when-

"What the freaking heck!"

Both hyenas stared in shock at the voice that came from the penguin enclosure, then turned to look at each other and grinned.

"Direct hit," Kenny said.

* * *

To say Evan wasn't the nicest penguin around here was an understatement right now. He was positively furious at the moment. He had just been right at the water's edge, getting his feet wet, nothing more, when suddenly, something hit his head and sent him off balance and into the pool, head-first. He hadn't planned on going swimming today, he wasn't planning to get wet today.

He looked over to where the tennis ball was floating lazily in the pool. He looked up ahead and saw three annoying penguin chicks, standing all together, conversing with each other. He narrowed his eyes. them. They must had thrown it.

And they would pay.

"You," he yelled at them as he waddled out of the pool and over to them. the three scrunched together in fear as he approached. "You think its funny to throw things at other penguin's heads," he barked. The gazed up at him in fear.

"No, sir. We didn't throw anything at you," Skyler stammered.

"Yeah, we don't know what your talking about," Erik added. Evan glared harder at them.

"Oh! Is that so," he sarcastically replied. "Well then, how can you explain the tennis ball just being thrown at my head out of nowhere!" The chicks were beginning to shiver in fear.

"I'm telling you, we had nothing to do with it," Erika pleaded. Evan didn't stop.

"You bad, bad chicks! I knew you were trouble here from the start, but did anyone believe me?! No! You're just a bunch of troublemaker chicks," he accused. Tears began to form in each of the chick's ice blue eyes and they began to whimper. Suddenly, a flash of black and white catapulted over their heads and right before Evan.

"Hey! Stop picking on my friends," Bo said as she blocked Evan's way to the siblings. Atticus, Andrew, Nathan, and Veronica joined her side.

"Yeah man. Stop accusing our friends for something they didn't do. And trust me, they didn't do it," Atticus added.

"Yeah, we were watching the whole thing the entire time," Andrew commented. Nathan and Veronica nodded in agreement.

"What's going on over here," Lovelace said as he, Sasha and Sven walked over to them.

"These three, right here, threw a tennis ball at my head when I was getting my feet wet, and now they won't admit it," Evan said. The three chicks piped up.

"We didn't do it! Honest," they said all at once, trying to prove their innocence. The looks on their faces and the tears threatening to spill down their faces was enough evidence to prove their honesty though.

"Well if the little ones say they didn't do, then I believe that they didn't. And you should too," Sven reasoned. Evan looked shocked before glaring.

"You're in on it," he accused. Sasha and Lovelace then stepped forward. Sasha got straight up in Evan's face while Lovelace shielded the chicks.

"That enough, Evan! I am so sick of your negative attitude to our new guests. If they say they are innocent, then you should believe them. I was watching the chicks and I didn't see any signs of them throwing the ball at you. Look," she said, pointing to the ball, "It's a tennis ball. Penguins aren't given tennis balls, but you know who does? The hyenas." All eyes turned to the hyena enclosure, and sure enough, two brother hyenas were laughing on the floor of their home.

"They did it," Lovelace concluded. All eyes turned back to Evan, who looked down looking very humiliated indeed.

"Now Evan, I want you to go over to these chicks and give a full, heart-felt apology to them for accusing them for a crime they did not commit," Sasha ordered. Evan nodded and looked up at the chicks, specifically Skyler, Erik and Erika.

"Sorry," he mumbled, before waddling away.

"Are you three okay," Andrew asked. They nodded.

"It wasn't very nice of him to say those things to you," Atticus added.

"Yes, please excuse him behavior. He-he's always been this way, but I never thought his attitude was this bad. I'll go talk to him," Sasha said before waddling after him.

"Thanks guys," Erik whispered. "Thanks for standing up for us." Everyone smiled and went over and hugged them all.

"You're welcome," they all replied quietly.

* * *

Zach looked up from his enclosure as he heard footsteps on the stone path. He opened his eyes to see one of the zookeeper looking in to the penguin exhibit with a camera. He looked closer and say the chicks, Sven and Lovelace together in a group hug. He smiled and placed his head back in his paws.

 _"Man, the're all just too cute. They're going to receive a whole lot of publicity now when that picture goes out,"_ he thought and went back to sleeping.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Antarctica.

Mumble stood alone on the ice outcrop leading out to the ocean, the same place where he had stood on his graduation day as he was the first of all his classmates to plunge into the water for the first time. He looked out towards the setting sun.

 _"I'll find them, no matter what it takes. I will find them,"_ he thought. His feet then left the edge as he plunged in head-first into the dangerous and cold waters. He opened his eyes as he entered the water.

The bubbles looked like stars in a watery sky. He twisted himself towards the surface and burst out of it, skimming the water above before plunging back in. His course was set. He was going to find his chicks and the others, no matter what.

* * *

 **Short chapter, but there's much more yet to come. Mumble's re-entering the alien's world, but will he succeed in finding his loved ones? I guess the future chapters are the only way to find out.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review and thanks to those who have already reviewed. I'll see you next time. Sincerely, v.t.7**


	8. Closer Together

**Chapter 8** ** _Closer Together_**

 **Summary: After talking among themselves, Mumble decided to go out into the alien's world again to search for him chick, while the chicks back at the zoo get a little more bonding time and show just how strong they stand together when an obstacle comes in their way. So, the question is, will Mumble be able to find his chicks and the others, or will he be lost out to the wide world out there two? Hmm, guess we'll just have to keep reading to find out.**

 **P.S. This chapter is dedicated to Steve Irwin, "The Crocodile Hunter", well known wildlife expert, TV personality and conversationalist. Skyler and I have decided to add the deleted scene from the first Happy Feet movie where he played a seagull before being changed to an Elephant Seal.**

 **R.I.P Steve Irwin,** **Age 44,** **February 22, 1962-September 4, 2006**

 **"If there's one thing I would like to be remembered for, it's passion and enthusiasm. Conservation is my job, my life, my being"- Steve Irwin.**

* * *

"Haha! Pass it over here, Nathan," Erika called out. The boy chick giggled and tossed the tennis ball that had hit Evan in the back of the head earlier.

The chicks, though irritated by the obnoxious accusation from him earlier, were taking great enjoyment in throwing the neon green, fuzzy ball to one another. They had found it super fun to toss and laughed out loud when they saw it bounce on the concrete ground and roll away after awhile. Meanwhile, Lovelace, Sven and Sasha watched them with amusement as they saw Erika miss the ball and chase after it giggling.

"They sure are having much fun out there," Sasha commented. The two males nodded in agreement.

"Yes, they sure get along quite nicely with one another," Sven added. Lovelace grinned.

"Maybe more with some rather than others," he commented as he saw Skyler trip onto her face and Atticus helped pick her up and brush away some of the dust on her feathers before both of them resumed the game.

"Ah, young love. One day they just might be mates. Four girls and four boys equals eight penguins and eight equals four couples," Sven replied.

"And if and when that day comes, we are all going to have to explain what love is to them and what their feelings for one another mean" Sasha said, shivering at the thought of when and if that day came and the chicks would almost be full adults and needed to know about their emotions inside, among other things. Sven and Lovelace both cringed.

"Yeah, but I think you have it worse, Sashi," Lovelace commented. "Sven and I can split the boys while you get four girls to teach all by yourself." Sven lifted up his flipper and slapped it with his. Sasha shook her head.

"Yes, well then I'll be extra sure to make sure the girls learn all they need to know, perhaps at a faster rate considering learning with others helps speed up development, while you will be teaching two-by-two," she retaliated. The two just smirked and eventually lost it to a small fit of chuckles before resuming watching the chicks.

* * *

*Meanwhile with Mumble was swimming fast as he can go through the water. The sun was shining as the waves move swiftly through the water. He swims into the water. He saw something so he swam towards it, the creature open it's eye, which also scared Mumble.

"Ah," Mumble yelped as he was swimming up towards the sky. As Mumble relaxed he heard something call at him.

"Hey!" Mumble looked up and saw a seagull. "Don't fret cobber. He wouldn't hurt a fly," a seagull said with an Australian accent. Mumble looks at the creature that swam in front him which revealed to be a whale of some kind.

"You're absolutely sure," Mumble asked skeptically as the whale blew out a spray of water from its blowhole. The only whales swimming in the oceans back home, or what once was his home, were penguin-eating killer whales.

"You're looking at your Blue whale, mate. He's a beauty, ain't he," the seagull asked.

"Oh my. He is beautiful. And so big," Mumble said as the whale made a noise. "And so loud! What's it's saying?"

"I think he's saying thank you. And he's asking what a little tackle like yourself doing out here on the Great Convergent," The seagull said to Mumble while flying.

"What," Mumble asked.

"Where the cold water meets the warm. Big northern currents. Once you cross the convergence, squirt, there's no going back," the seagull explained. He then flew up close to Mumble and looked at him confusedly. "You're far away from home, aren't you? You should be back home to your friends and your family," The seagull said while looking at Mumble.

"Well, the truth is my kids and my friends kids are somewhere out here. I won't stop until I find them," Mumble said as he swam away. The seagull watched as he began swimming off again.

"Whoa, this guy is crazy, but I like it," The seagull said as he flew away, after the whale.

* * *

"Oh, Carmen. Mi amor. Please watch your step. I wouldn't want for you to get cold feet, my darling," Ramon said as he followed after a female Adelie. The female, Carmen was her name, had deep brown eyes with long lashes and a tall, bouncy figure. Two other females walked on either side of her. Suddenly, Ramon tripped and fell face first onto the ground. He shook his head and looked up at Carmen, who stopped and looked at him.

"I am not your darling. Now leave me alone, for I do not wish to ruin my presence along with desperate penguins such as yourself, 'kay. Let's go girls," Carmen said snootily and kicked a mound of snow at Ramon's head. He spluttered on the snowflakes as Carmen and the other girls left him behind.

"What did I tell you? No backbone. All squishy," one of the Adelie penguins beside Carmen said.

"What a loser," the other one added as the three of them left a heart-broken and discouraged Ramon behind. He spat out the remaining snow and dusted himself off as he got up on his feet and stared in the direction Carmen and the other two had gone. He sighed and kicked up a mound of snow.

"Madre mia. Why must she play hard to get," he asked no one in particular. "Maybe she is just one that I will never get and I must quit while I can." He looked down at his feet. Then his head looked up again. "No! No, Carmen is my one true love and I will make her see that too. But first, I need some love advice from mi amigos and my tall friends."

With that being said, he started to head in the direction of his pals.

* * *

"Amigos! Friends! Señores! Señoras," he called out to his friends. Eria and Matt were standing with the Amigos in front of the Emperors and were discussing possible places for them to go and new fishing grounds, since Adelie land couldn't provide for them forever. They all turned to the lovesick penguin running towards them.

"What is it Ramon," Nestor asked.

"How's it between you and Carmen," Eria teased, but Ramon mistook it for actual concern. He lifted a flipper to his brow and moaned.

"Oh, not so good. No matter how I try, Carmen is always one step ahead of me, always beyond my reach. That is why I need your help to charm her and make her return my feelings back," he said. The penguins looked at each other and stared for a moment before turning back to him.

"What did you exactly have in mind," Gloria asked. Ramon looked up and grinned.

"Spanish is the language of love, no? It is the romance language, no? So what better way to express my feelings to he through singing Spanish and music," he said proudly. The others nodded at him.

"We'll help ya, but what exactly do ya want us to do," Seymour asked.

"You know. Do the tippity-tapping feet while I sing. Listen, I've been thinking of something on the way I got here. Allow me to sing some of it to you. Ahem:

 _This is my heartbeat song and I'm gonna play it._  
 _Been so long I forgot how to turn it up up up up all night long._  
 _Oh up up all night long"_

The song would had been a really nice one to sing, if Ramon had not such a deep and Latin voice to sing it with. The others only stared at him in shock.

"So, what do you think," he asked them. The looked at each other and began mumbling for each other to answer. Finally Raul and Matt spoke up.

"Well, it's... really emotional," Raul commented.

"Um, how about we think up of something else, one we can all partake in," Matt suggested. Ramon nodded and walked closer to them.

"Sure thing. You the music experts," he said as they began to huddle and talk among themselves on what exactly to do.

* * *

Carmen was standing with her friends near the coast. The sun was setting over the sea, casting an orange light over Adelie Land's inhabitants. Ramon approached the beach with Eris and Matt, the Amigos, Gloria, Violet, Krista, Seymour and Cole, plus several other penguins who had agreed to help him(mainly females since they thought Ramon's pursuit and dedication towards Carmen was so romantic).

Ramon stepped forward and onto a medium patch of snow where he would be better seen over the rest of the penguins, hopefully by Carmen. The four other Amigos stood around him in back, two on either side of him. The taller ones stood in back, the tappers on one side and the singers on the others. Ramon looked back and gave the signal to his friends who nodded back in reply.

Gloria, Violet, and Seymour began to tap the beat to the song, keeping in time and rhythm. Cole and Krista turned to the other penguins and together they began to sing the background music. Eria and Matt helped both of them out, keeping to the beat and also providing vocals to the background. Ramon took a deep breath and began to sing.

 _I met a girl in east Adelie-a_  
 _In sunset light, as sweet as May_  
 _She sang in eights, in two Barrio chords_  
 _We fell in love, but not before..._

Every penguins stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the singer and his friends playing this sweet melody. Carmen turned, along with her friends, to the top of the snow mound and saw the penguin she had ignored earlier now singing in the glorious light of the setting sun.

 _La-la-la-la-la-la_  
 _La-la-la-la-la-la_  
 _La-la-la-la-la-la_  
 _La-la-la-la-la-la_  
 _La-la-la-la-la-la_

 _Manos-_  
 _Manos-_

 _Ahhhhh Antartica Antarticano  
_ _Ahhhhh Antartica Antarticano  
_ _Ahhhhh Antartica Antarticano  
_ _Ahhhhh Antartica Antarticano_

 _Mis canciones son de la revolución (My songs are of the revolution)_  
 _Mi corazón me duele por mi generación(My heart hurts for my generation)_

Ramon sang hard and deep, not too hard considering he was already fluent in Spanish. The background penguins sang and danced harder as the song began to pick up the pace. Carmen kept staring at Ramon and saw how the sunlight glistened off his feathers and made him appear to be almost glowing. She felt a spark ignite in her chest as she kept watching and hearing hm.

 _If you love me, we can marry, on the west Adelie coast,_  
 _On a Wednesday, en un verano, en agosto_

 _Ahhhhh Antartica Antarticano  
_ _Ahhhhh Antartica Antarticano_

 _I will fight for, I have fought for how I love you_  
 _I have cried for, I will die for how I care_  
 _In the mountains, las campanas están sonando_  
 _Todos los chicos (chicas), y los chicos (chicas) están besando_

 _Ahhhhh Antartica Antarticano  
_ _Ahhhhh Antartica Antarticano  
_ _Ahhhhh Antartica Antarticano  
_ _Ahhhhh Antartica Antarticano_

Carmen was now dancing along to the beat and was singing along with the chorus as Ramon's voice rang loud and clear in the twilight air. She was completely charmed by the Adelie who was singing this lovely, yet powerful song, just for her. The spark in her soul grew more intense tills he knew what she felt for him. Love.

 _Don't you try and catch me,_  
 _Don't you try and catch me,_  
 _No! No! No! No!_  
 _I'm living on the edge of,_  
 _Living on the edge of the law, law, law, law_

 _Don't you try and catch me,_  
 _Don't you try and get me,_  
 _No! No! No! No!_  
 _Don't you try to catch me,_  
 _I'm living on the edge of the law, law, law, law._

 _"But I'm living on the edge for you,"_ he finished, staring straight at her. The penguins cheered as the sun completely set under the ocean's horizon. He noticed carmen takes a few steps towards him, down some ways closer to the water. He began to walk closer to her,but his foot lost grip on the snow and he began to tumble head first down the hill towards her. Several penguins screamed and yelled as he fell down the hill.

"My name is Ramon. Ramon Carlos Garcia Santa Maria La Nina Pinta Pacifico...," he said before he finally was sent a few feet into the air and landed headfirst into a pile of snow right before Carmen. She walked closer to him and he looked up at her through thick dusting of snowflakes.

"Ramon. I can't believe you did this, for me," she said softly. He got up and brushed away the snow to look at her clearly.

"How could I not," he asked, just as softly.

"But I was so proud and mean towards you. How could you ever possibly love anyone like me," she asked. He gently reached out to touch and grasp her flipper. She gasped and looked directly into his gentle eyes.

"A thousand lifetimes I would spend doing this just to know you have given me this one exquisite moment by your side. You are my world entire," he replied. A few penguins in the audience awed on how beautiful this scene was. "So, what did you think of my song for you," he asked.

 _"But I'm living on the edge for you,"_ she echoed back. Ramon smiled as he gazed at her and listened to her repeating his song for her. "How did I not see this before. You're beautiful."

"Only on the outside," he replied sadly, turning his head down to the side. She reached out and lifted his face to meet hers again.

"No," Carmen replied firmly. "Why didn't I see this before? You're really beautiful," she insisted. He perked up.

"You really think so," he tentatively asked, hope rising in his voice.

"Absolutely," she replied. She gently took hold of his face with both her flippers. "Ramon, my fallen angel. You chased me until I caught you."

"Oh Carmen. Mi amor," he replied softly.

Back with the other penguins who had helped Ramon with the song, they smiled in satisfaction at Ramon and Carmen down bellow. It was a mission well done.

* * *

Later, when it was completely dark outside and the stars were visible tonight, Violet walked out towards the coast and peered out into the ocean. The pale light of the stars did little to aid in her night vision. The waves that lapped at her feet barely gave her any comfort to knowing that her husband, mate and chicks were out there, somewhere, and here she was. All alone.

She stared out to the ocean's horizon, barely visible in the darkness of night. She remembered the lyrics she and Mumble tapped to and sang lightly on the day they became one through the union of their heartsongs.

 _"_ _What's weird about it, is we're right at the end, and mad about it. Just figured it out in my head._ _I wish, oh how I wish, that I'm proud to say, that have, that I got you."_

"I'm proud to say, that I've got you," she whispered softly, looking out onto the horizon once more. "Great Guin. Please. Return my mate and children back to me safely" she prayed softly before turning back and heading to join her friends for the night huddle.

* * *

 ***This part of the story was done by my close associate and collaborator for this story, Skyler the Elf Owl. Thank you Sky for honoring the late Steve Irwin with your contribution to the chapter! And thank you** **WaterBendingQueen88 for allowing us to use her OC's, Eria and Matt, in this chapter.**

 **The songs used in this chapter are "Heartbeat Song" by Kelly Clarkson, a shortened, slightly altered version "Americano" by Lady Gaga, and the combination lyrics of** **"I Got You" by Leona Lewis, and "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder, used in the first story** **. I do not own either of them and they belong to their original owners.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and stayed tune for the next chapter. Sincerely, v.t.7**


	9. Progress

**Chapter 9** ** _Progress_**

 **Summary: Mu** **mble's trek continues as he...you know what? You just have to keep reading to find out what. This is set entirely in Mumble's PoV, with an exception in two places.**

 **Happy Feet 1 &2 and all its content belongs to its original owners. I don't own the songs "Counting Stars" by OneRepublic and "Maps" by Maroon5. All rights go to them.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Mumble was streaking through the water, as he had been for the last two days and a half. He had been going non-stop all this time and was now beginning to feel the effects of his trek once more into alien and unknown waters. Fatigue.

His flippers ached, his muscles begged him to stop and rest, his feet felt sore and his breathing came out ragged. Yet, he still swam on. His eyelids fought against the invisible weights holding them down as he struggled to keep awake. He didn't feel any hunger, the ocean was filled with fish, he just felt exhausted. Yet the only thing keeping his brain from dozing off like the water swirling and rocking him was the thought of his chicks and his friends's chicks. Images of them freezing and dripping wet with no one to warm them, huddled together, looking half-starved to death. Their eyes widened in fear as shadow figures approached them slowly, yet sinisterly.

It sent cold caterpillars down his spine and his feathers sticking up on end. His heart sank in his chest. They didn't deserve to end like that. No chick deserved to end like that. He had to find them. He wanted, no, needed to find them and see if they were alright.

His vigor and dedication to completing his mission sent small amounts of energy to his stamina-sapped flippers. He accelerated a little more in the water. He would find the chicks and he would find a way to bring them home.

Somehow.

* * *

His eyes refused to open, as if they were glued shut. He tried to blink with them closed, trying to see if they would unlock. They widened an inch before shutting immediately closed again as a searing, white light touched and stung his eyes. His entire body felt drained of energy. He could barely even lift his flipper up a bit. His lungs ached as he took breaths, in and out.

He shuddered as he felt something touch his back and move downward, starting from his upper back to his lower. He groaned and tried again to open his eyes. He blinked rapidly through the light, but then realized there were blurry figures before his vision. They were moving up above his head, but he couldn't make out any details or such. He was nearly completely exhausted of these minor movements. He flinched again when he felt a pinch on his right flipper and as he felt something being placed into his beak.

His tongue lapped up some strange, tasteless liquid and swallowed it when it was squirted into his mouth. Instantly his eyes fell again, no longer able to stay open. His mind was beginning to hang off consciousness and into sleep. He could hear some weird sounds, but his mind fell unconsciousness before he had a chance to at least try and figure them out.

All he could do was rest and hope that he would be able to figure it all out when he woke up again.

* * *

 _"How do you think he got here?"_

 _"I don't know, but one thing I do know is that he traveled really far to get here."_

 _"I don't understand it. Between Antarctica and home, it's 4_ _312 miles. I know from my Biology courses I took back in college that this guy's specie swim about seven, close to eight, miles in the water. If he was heading to the tip of South Africa where we're going, it would take him about an estimated twenty-three days to get there. Why and how he's so far out here stumps me."_

 _"Well, we can't turn the boat around now to get him back home. The loads are too heavy, we're on a schedule and we'll need to refuel soon."_

 _"Okay, okay. Listen, I know a who works at a zoo back home. Its a nice one and it has a penguin exhibit. I'm sure they'll take this guy in."_

 _"Alright, we'll be docking soon, so give the guy the call. Thankfully we're close and he's not gone yet. Just something about him seems familiar. What do you think?"_

 _"I don't know. He does seem a bit, but I can't put my finger on it."_

 _"Same here. Hmm, well I bet the people at the zoo will be able to recognize him at least. Let's just leave him been and let him rest. Thank goodness we had that first aid kit on board. He should stay asleep till we get him there."_

 _"Yes, very fortunate for him indeed."_

* * *

His brain pounded against his skull. His entire head spun with nausea. But the upside was that he had more energy then when he first blacked out, not a lot, but enough to move a bit more. He groaned as he lifted his flippers up near his head. They felt as if they had huge chunks of ice in their bones. He felt unbelievably nauseated and sick to his stomach.

 _"Do you think he is okay?"_

He flinched slightly at the muffled voice he heard nearby. He tried to look up, squinting through the rays of white towards the grey blurred figure.

 _"I don't know, but- hey! Look! He's waking up!"_

He let out a moan as he turned his head up to the figures hunched over him. His pupils dilated as he made out two penguins looking concerned at him. Both had brown eyes and the same coloring as his specie, yet they seemed shorter than him. One moved in closer and leaned their head in.

"Excuse me sir, but are you alright," she asked in a feminine voice. He let out another groaned as his muscles protested in achy pain as he attempted to get up. He felt two things slither under both his flippers and he turned to see the two penguins helping him up.

"Be polite Stell'. He's new here and the new penguins here tend to come in drowsy. Let him recover a bit first, then we'll ask him," the other one said, but her voice was a bit more mature than the slightly smaller penguin.

"No, I'm find. Thanks for the help," he said as he made it to his feet. He felt woozy and nearly toppled over from the dizziness, but straightened up. He then got a good look at what specie of penguin they were. Both appeared to be King penguins.

"Of course dearie. I apologize for any conveniences my daughter or I have made to you. My name is Lila and this is my daughter Stella, or Stell' as she prefers to be called. We welcome you to our humble home," the older penguin introduce, giving a little curtsy. The younger one watched and copied her mother.

"Thank you. My name is Mumble. I have swam a long way, searching for my and my friend's chicks. Have you've seen them, there are eight of them," he asked. The two looked a bit shocked at first, but then shook their heads.

"No, I'm afraid not. I'm sorry for you and your friends loss, but we have not seen them here or anywhere," Lila replied.

"Nope. Sorry," Stella replied. Mumble sighed.

"It's fine. I won't give up until I find them. Um, so is there any way I can go to keep searching for them," he asked again. Again they shook their heads.

"I'm afraid not. My daughter and I have lived all our lives here. The only way you get in or out of this place is through a transfer through the 'system' as we call it, and that is decided by the beings that feed us and clean our home," Lila explained.

"The aliens," Mumble asked as he took a look around the enclosure he was in. Instantly, he felt dread creeping up inside of him.

"Oh, so that is what you call them. Well, we do know is that while you're here they'll take care of you, just like with us and the others here," she explained. Mumble kept staring at the wall that looked so much like home, but if he tried to walk to it he would smack into it. He suddenly turned back when he felt something tap his flipper.

"Excuse, Mr. Mumble sir," Stella asked.

"Oh, um, you can just call me Mumble," he replied. She gave a small smile at him.

"Alright. I have two questions. Okay, so I was wondering what kind of penguin are you and why do you still have your baby fluff," she asked.

"Stella! Be polite! It's not nice to ask other penguins such probing questions, especially when he has just got here," Lila scolded. Stella looked down in shame and shuffled her feet.

"Oh, it's fine, ma'am. I don't mind answering them," he said, before looking over at Stella. "To answer your questions, I am an Emperor penguin and the reason I still have my baby feathers, although I am an adult, is because I hatched a bit differently from the others," he replied. Stella looked back up at him and gave a slightly bigger smile this time.

"Oh," she simply said. Suddenly Lila interrupted them.

"Ooh, they're here now. They're here now," she suddenly exclaimed.

"Who's here now," he asked.

"The beings that come watch us. Aliens I believe you call them," she explained. She pointed her flipper up to the darkened part of the wall. His eyes widened as he saw some alien beings staring into the enclosure. Last time he had last seen them was before Erik, Erika, and Skyler were born, right before the fish famine ended. And now again he saw them. More began to gather around the window, all eyes focused on him.

 _"Another day, another audience to capture,"_ he thought. He closed his eyes and focused deep inside of him, into his heart and in this soul for the melody to charm the aliens.

His foot raised and then slapped down as the performance began.

* * *

"And so then, the waves began to tower above the chicks' heads. They were sure they were going to drown under the waves, being swept off the iceberg they stood on and dragged into the water," Skyler said. She and Veronica were entertaining the chicks by turning their story into a tale of mystery and suspense, as well as some adventure.

"But then, just as the first chick fell off the piece of ice that held him, suddenly something rose out of the water and caught him before he could splash in. Two other chicks fell in too and were also held up buy some brown, net-like object of some sort. It was a strong thing, for it began to lift even the others chicks and the iceberg out of the water and towards the sky," Veronica continued. They were taking turns telling the story.

Just then, the chicks turned their heads over to the wall as soon as they heard a loud 'slap' hit the concrete. Sasha began to move over and they noticed a greyish-white, square object on the ground near her feet. she looked over at the and waved.

"It's fine kids. Zookeeper dropped his newspaper in here again. Nothing dangerous, it just tells the news," she yelled. Andrew's curiosity perked up.

"Really? Sweet, I'm going to check it out, "he said as he began waddling over to where Sasha was.

"Wait bro'! You're going to miss the story," Nathan called out to him.

"Just tell me how it ends later," Andrew called over his shoulder. Nathan sighed and the girls began to continue the story.

"Nice to see another penguin interested in the news. Oh look, there's a penguin on the front page," Sasha said and pointed out to him. He cocked his head to the side before his eyes widened as he recognized the picture of the Emperor penguin dancing on the front page.

"Hey, are you alright youngun'? You look positively pale now, like you've seen a ghost," Sasha asked in concern when she looked up at him and noticed that he did indeed had paled a bit and his beak was beginning to stutter as his eyes remained large and shocked.

"M-M-Mumble," he stuttered out. "G-Guys. Guys! Guys! Come here, you have just got to see this," he suddenly yelled at his companions. The stared at him, some with concern, others with annoyance. Sky and Veronica were not happy at the interruption.

"What! What is it," Skyler yelled back, clearly upset at being interrupted in the middle of one of the climaxes of their story. Andrew had begun to jump up and down and point at the newspaper.

"The newspaper. It has your dad dancing on the cover. Come and look," he said. Eyes widened in shock. They remained petrified as the words set, before all seven of them bolted towards the two and gathered around them and the piece of literary on paper. Sure enough, black-and-white, clear as crystal was a picture of their daddy lifting his foot into the air as he smiled, clearly enjoying capturing his audience. Erik leaned down and gently touched the picture of his father.

"Dad," he whispered gently.

"Our dad's been found. Our dad's been found," Erika suddenly yelled with joy. Tears streamed down her face, but her voice was filled with joy. She immediately grasped her two siblings' flippers and began hopping up and down with happiness. All until Nathan started speaking.

"That's great, but what's he doing there and not here," he questioned. The jumping stopped and all eyes turned back to the newspaper.

"I don't know," Erika replied. Her voice came down a bit with sadness, before Sasha placed a flipper on her shoulder.

"Cheer up dearies. Listen, see those weird, markings on the paper," she asked. They all looked down. Sure enough, tiny, intricate markings were scrawled out in even columns all across the paper.

"Yeah. What about them," Atticus asked.

"Well, if we can translate them, maybe we can get some answers," she suggested. The chicks' expressions grew hopeful, but still a bit doubtful.

"But how can we do that? None of us understand them," Bo pointed out. Sasha only smiled in return.

"Leave that part to me," she replied. She turned backwards to face the concrete wall. Her flippers extended up as she jumped off, only missing the edge by an inch. She huffed in frustration and tried again, this time gripping the edge and pulling herself up. She looked ahead and saw the certain vervet monkey she was looking for, snoozing in his hammock.

"Yo Dash! Dash! Wake up Dash," she yelled. The monkey groaned and turned over onto his other side and began rubbing his eyes with his hands as he stared at the blurry form of Sasha up ahead.

"Wha? What is it? Is it time to get up yet," he asked.

"It's been time to get up for several hours now," Sasha answered. His eyes widened in shock, but squinted again as the light painfully hit his eyes.

"Oh, well in that case, I'm going back to sleep," he said and turned to his original side in the hammock.

"Dash! Come on! I need to ask you a very important question." No answer. "It's for the chicks' benefit," she yelled. A second passed before she heard him groan out loud and threw away his blanket to the floor of his enclosure.

"Fine! What's the question," he asked loudly. Sasha smiled.

"Can you read," she asked. Dash gave her a confused look, but then shook his head.

"Read? No." He saw Sasha's expression grow sad. "But the chatterbox parrots and lorikeets can," he quickly added. Her face perked up again.

"Oh, well can you take this newspaper over to them and gave them read the front page and have them tell us where this 'Mumble' penguin is and what's he doing now," she asked. Again he shook his head.

"Nope, sorry. If you haven't noticed, I'm kinda stuck in my cage," he replied. He saw her expression fall down again. He hated seeing her like this. Out of all the animals in the zoo, she was one of the very, very few creatures he called his friend. She tolerated his teasing and clowning around attitude. She said hearing him tell jokes and be upbeat and positive was like sunshine on a dreary, cloudy day. He wanted her to be happy, and the chicks. He liked the chicks. He wanted them to be happy too.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard giggling nearby. He turned his head to the side and saw Kiburi, Alice and Nevaeh, the peacock trio, strolling down the sidewalk while laughing at some unknown thing. The gears in his brain began turning. The peacocks were the only animal in the zoo that didn't need to be kept in enclosure. they could roam wherever they liked, as long as it was on the zoo grounds. Slowly, his lips turned into a grin and he turned back to Sasha.

"But I know three someones who can get it to them," he called back. She turned back up again and gave him a smile.

* * *

"And strut, and strut. Keep your head up and look proudly around," Kiburi instructed as the three walked down the cobblestone paths. They all were in top-notch shape in posing, but some of their feathers started to stick up as they heard a certain monkey laughing at them. All three whipped their heads up to stare at the monkey laughing at them.

"Oh yeah. Oh yeah, work it girls," he chattered from up above. Kiburi rolled his eyes at him.

"For your information, I'm a boy, Dash," he answered. Dash stopped laughing and looked down at him.

"Not with those feathers you aren't," he teased before going into another fit of chuckles. Kiburi snorted and looked away from the a swinging primate.

"Seriously though. Listen, Kiburi, I need, no, we need to ask you and the girls a favor," Dash said.

"And just why would we do that," he asked, still with his back turned to him. Dash stared at him for awhile before turning towards the penguin exhibit. Sasha gave him a stumped look. Then, Sven flew up and perched on the cement rim and looked at the peacocks.

"Oh, no reason. We just thought that such very handsome and beautiful birds such as yourselves would be able to do this simple task that would be greatly appreciated to us penguins and puffin," he said. The three looked towards him and grinned bashfully. Alice and Nevaeh started covering their blushing faces from him as they giggled. Kiburi started to fan his tail out in sake of his admirer.

"You really think so," he asked. Sven nodded.

"Yes. We would all very much appreciate it if you magnificent birds would take this newspaper and have the parrots and lorikeets translate it for us. It's very simple really, but it means so much to us," Sven replied. The fawning did the trick.

"We'll do it. Where's the paper," Alice asked. Sven motioned to inside the penguin exhibit.

"Right over here. Our apologies that we could not get it out." Kiburi swept a wing in front of him.

"Tis' nothing. I will simply fly in and retrieve the paper. And I shall do it beautifully, with my feathers gleaming in the sunlight and my long tail trailing out magnificently behind me."

"Oh brother," Dash said to himself.

"Wonderful. Right over here please," Sven pointed. Kiburi stood up proudly before rushing towards the concrete rim. He flapped his wings swiftly and Sven moved so he could fly in. Yet, since it is a known fact that male peacocks can only fly for short distances because of their heavy tail feathers. Kiburi nearly clipped his feet against the rim as he quickly panted from lack of breath. He set down completely out of breath and began to search around for the newspaper. Sven slid it over to him and Kiburi grasped it with his sharp, clawed foot. Since he was still winded though, he threw the newspaper to his two other companions while he regained his energy.

Alice picked it up with her beak while Nevaeh ran over to talk with the parrots, Lilly and Isaac, and the lorikeets, Mozart and Donnie. When Alice had dragged the newspaper over, Nevaeh helped lift it up and hold it to the plastic window so that they could see the type on it.

"Hey nerd birds. Can you please read the front part about the penguin in the picture," Alice called out. The macaws and lorikeets huffed and made their way over closer to the screen.

"Yes, but you could say it nicer than that," Mozart complained.

Alice sighed and replied, "please, just read it."

"Thank you. Let's see, _'Emperor penguin in the Johannesburg zoo penguin enclosure._ _Wows crowd on first day placed in._ _Fishermen claim to have found him several miles swimming completely exhausted a few miles off the coast of Cape Town._ _More research shows him to be in zoo in Florida a year before. Researchers are already trying to figure out why he's swam so far twice already. In meanwhile, local people take great pleasure in seeing the penguin perform tap dancing numbers for their viewing pleasure',"_ Mozart explained.

"Will there be anything else you'd like us to read?"

"Nope that's it." Nevaeh and Alice started to turn to leave, but halted and turned around one last time. "Hey, nerd birds. I know us peacocks don't say this too often, but..."

"Thank you," they said simultaneously. The parrots and the lorikeets nodded before returning back to their regular activities.

* * *

When the two peahens got back, Kiburi had just succeeded in getting himself pulled out of the concrete enclosure with help from Sven, Lovelace and the chicks of course. He laid on his stomach on the concrete rim, panting, until he saw the girls approach. He immediately straightened and stood up and dusted his forefathers before jumping down to greet them.

"So," he asked, "what did those multicolored, flying geniuses say?" The chicks, Lovelace, Dash, and Sven strained in their enclosures to hear.

"They said that the penguin is in the Johannesburg zoo down in Cape Town," Nevaeh explained.

"Said he wowed the crowd with his tap dancing performances," Alice added. Everyone remained quiet until Sven flew up to the concrete railing and did a little bow at the peacocks.

"Thank you very much. We truly appreciate the effort and actions you have done. It really means a great deal to us," he said.

The chicks nodded, even though the peacocks couldn't see them. "Thank you," the chorused simultaneously. Instantly, the peacocks began blushing and covering their faces with their wings.

"Oh, it was nothing," Nevaeh answered.

"What are you saying, it was almost everything," Alice remarked. Kiburi looked the proudest of all.

"Quite right. We are heroes. You are most welcome. Now let's go girls and go show off our hero faces somewhere else," Kiburi said as they began to strut away. Sven waved his fin at them as they left.

"Ciao," he called before jumping back into the enclosure.

"So, what's the plan now little ones," he asked. The chicks were all huddled together. Now that they knew that Mumble was searching for them, they needed some way to tell him that they were here. Everyone's eyes were darting back and forth, waiting to see if the other had a plan. Finally, Veronica spoke up.

"Well... we found Mumble on the front page picture tap dancing. It seems like the humans really like his dancing, so what if we did the same as Mumble? What if we started dancing, or did the things we like to do? The humans could put our pictures in the newspaper, Mumble could see them and then he'd come and find us."

The chicks remained silent at the idea. They pondered it and thought it through. Finally, Erik started to shake his head no, but then stopped abruptly when the other chicks began nodding their heads.

"You know, it's not a bad idea," Atticus said.

"Yeah, it's a really good idea," Andrew added.

"It's brilliant," Skyler said. Erik shook his head again.

"I'm not sure," he mumbled. Bo walked over and gave him a friendly pat on the back and a reassuring smile.

"It's okay Erik. It's just what Miss Viola says in class, 'just let rip'." Erik still look uncertain, but returned the smile anyways.

"Great, now we just need to perform for some humans so they'll take our picture and bring daddy here," Erika said.

"Well you won't have to wait much longer now, 'cause here comes the people," Sasha suddenly said.

All eyes turned to where she was pointing. Sure enough, several humans were approaching the exhibit. A zookeeper tour guide also came along and several African penguins headed towards the spot where the railing was closest to him, knowing if the behaved well enough they'd earn a treat. The chicks scurried along too, wanting the humans to be able to see them before they showed off their skills.

Erik stayed behind some way back. The memory of him trying to dance like his father said and failing in front of all his classmates was still fresh in his mind. He didn't want to be laughed at again. Twice would be too painful. He wanted to get his daddy back, he really did, but... he just didn't have the confidence to try dancing again. Little did he know that Bo noticed him staying back, so she decided to join him and figure out what was wrong with him.

"Hey Erik," she said softly. Erik was startled by her voice and turned around quickly. "Sorry, but, um, I was wondering, if... you, well, would like to dance with me?" Her cheeks blushed rose red, but Erik's face was as red as a tomato. Had Bo just asked him to be her partner? Without even thinking, his head nodded on its own. Bo smiled and gave him a quick hug.

"Brilliant. Thank you Erik. Now let's go, the others are waiting and we have a crowd to perform for," she said before cartwheeling off towards the others. Erik could only numbly step after her.

What in Guin's name did he get himself into?

* * *

Turns out the chicks liked being in the spotlight. The humans practically gushed over their cute, chick looks. Getting their attention was no problem. Best so far is that some had taken what Sasha said was their cameras. In order to take pictures of them. The chicks were now nearby bursting with excitement. All that was left to do was get in the newspaper, and that meant it was time to dance.

Erik was still a bit unsure about his dancing, but if it meant reuniting with his father and getting all the rest of them back home, then he was willing to risk his pride again. Plus Bo was counting on him, and, though he dare not admit it outlook, he really like her and hated to make her disappointed.

Everyone else was ready, and Andrew was practically jumping out of his feathers. They had agreed that they would do his song since he already had it all planned out. He stood in front of everyone, chest sticking out proudly.

"You ready," he asked.

"Ready," the chorused back. He smiled and turned to his audience, looking straight towards their faces as he took the first step.

 _"Lately we've been, we've been losing sleep_  
 _Dreaming about the things that we could be_  
 _But, baby we've been, we've been praying hard_  
 _Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars_  
 _Yeah, we'll be counting stars"_

Feet began to sync in the flow of the music as he sang his sweet song. Even though the humans could not understand it, they didn't care. They were beginning to point their tan or brown flippers at them. It didn't matter if they could understand the words, they were having as much fun as the chicks dancing along to the unknown song only known to them.

 _"We see this life like a swinging vine,_  
 _Swing our heart across the line_  
 _In my face is flashing signs,_  
 _Seek it out and ye shall find._

 _Old but we're not that old_  
 _Young but we're not that bold_  
 _And we don't think the world is sold_  
 _We're just doing what we're told_

 _An feel something so right by doing the wrong thing_  
 _An feel something so wrong by doing the right thing"_

The music kept spreading inside the chicks. Nathan and Erika, who both had paired with each other, were now tapping about, still in the beat, but adding their own twists into it. Atticus and Skyler were tapping hard on the ground, trying to hit the beat harder than anyone else. Even Erik tapped along with Bo. He was trying hard to keep in sync, but Bo was there to steady him if he started to lose his balance. Veronica didn't have a partner, since she was the last to know about it, but still kept in time to the song. But all of a sudden, she felt something coming up in her chest. Her heartbeat began rapidly beating to not the beat of the song, but to hers.

Instantly, she felt the urge to join in on the song.

 _"I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie  
_ _Everything that kills me makes me feel alive."_

Suddenly, Veronica joined in on the song, adding in her addition on it.

 _"Ooh, I like to think that we had it all_  
 _We drew a map to a better place_  
 _But on that road I took a fall_  
 _Oh baby why did you run away?_

 _I was there for you_  
 _In your darkest times_  
 _I was there for you_  
 _In your darkest nights"_

Andrew gaped in aww at her voice. It spread out in the purest clarity of song. His feet began to change pace into her song, yet it still burned in his heart like a lit flame. He saw her turn towards him and wink. He saw the sparkle in her eyes, the sparkle of her heartsong born into the air. His heart burned with song that it ached. His beak opened and he joined back into the song.

 _"Oh-h Ye-e-yeah_

 _I feel our love_  
 _And I feel it burn_  
 _Down this river every time_  
 _Hope is our four-letter word, make that money watch it burn_

 _Old but, we're not that old_  
 _Young, but we're not that bold_  
 _And we don't think the world is sold_  
 _We're just doing what we're told_

 _And we feel something so wrong by doing the right thing_  
 _I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie_  
 _Everything that drowns us makes me wanna fly"_

Veronica's voice joined in again,this time Andrew's merged in with hers. The chicks began laughing with joy as the song took on new voices and ways to dance to. Sven, Lovelace and Sasha joined in, assisting the other chicks. Dash gleefully jumped around in his enclosure at the sight. Zach turned his head and smiled at his friends' success, while the hyena twins glowered in their enclosure. People began to cheer, attracting others to the spot at a rapid pace. Several zookeepers joined in on the commotion and took out their own phones, cameras and filming gear to capture the surprising and rarely exciting moment at the place they worked.

 _"Oh oh oh_  
 _Oh oh oh_  
 _Yea yea yeah_  
 _Ah ah ah_

 _Oh, yeah take that money and watch it burn,_  
 _Sing in the river the lessons I learned_  
 _Take that money and watch it burn,_  
 _Sing in the river the lessons I learned_

 _Lately we've been, we've been losing sleep_  
 _Dreaming about the things that we could be_  
 _But, baby we've been, we've been praying hard_  
 _Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars_  
 _So we'll following the map that leads to you_  
 _Keep following the map that leads to you_  
 _'Cause there ain't nothing we can do_  
 _Just keep following, following, the map that leads to you_

 _Take that money watch it burn,_  
 _Sing in the river the lessons I learned_  
 _Take that money watch it burn,_  
 _Sing in the river the lessons I learned_  
 _Take that money watch it burn,_  
 _Sing in the river the lessons I learned_  
 _Take that money watch it burn,_  
 _Sing in the river the lessons I learned_

 _We'll be, we'll be counting stars!"_

Their feet slammed down on the concrete as the song ended. They were exhausted, their feet were beginning to ache. Beads of sweat dotted their brows. They all had their beaks open and were panting for air. Yet they basked in their moment of triumph. The looked up and squinted through all the flashing cameras and the deafening applause and happy yells of all the people. A huge crowd stared at them and were talking rapidly in their languages that they could not understand.

Yet it was their victory. They had done it. All they could do now was rest up and wait for the next part to happen.

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed the mashup, they're fun to make. We'll get to see later if Mumble will get the chick's message or not. I've decided not to give the summary of the chapters anymore, 'cause I think you guys are already up to speed. Please review and if you have any ideas/suggestion/questions for the next chapters then don't hesitate to add in. I'll see you next time. And have a Merry Christmas! Or a Happy Hanukkah or Happy Kwanzaa. Sincerely, v.t.7**


	10. Taking in Hope

**Chapter 10** ** _Taking in Hope_**

 **Wow, chapter 10 already? Wow. And right before the end of the year too. Yay! So, as you may know. I'm not doing any more summaries. What I will tell you about this chapter though is that we are going back to Violet. Gloria, Seymour and the others and see how they're doing.**

 **Happy Feet 1 &2 and all its content belongs to its original owners. Skyler the Elf Owl and I only own our OC's and WaterBendingQueen88 owns her OC's, Eria and Matt. All rights go to them. Same goes for any songs used in this chapter. All belong to their original owners.**

 **Also, to answer MarioFan65's question, the Doomberg still happened, but the colony was evacuated before it could trap them. It's still where it was during the movie, but it can't do anything to hurt the penguins now. Thanks for asking.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

As the chicks and the rest set their plan into motion, meanwhile, back in Antarctica, the Emperor penguins were facing a new obstacle. Finding a new home. A group of mainly single males and Elders, plus the main group, had left the comforts of Adelie land, along with the penguin families and their chicks, in order to scout out the land for their new home.

The Amigos stayed behind with Eria and Matt to reassure the others of the group's safe return and to also alert the group if the chicks and/or Mumble returned. Plus Ramon didn't want to leave Carmen's side with their blossoming relationship in progress.

Seymour, Gloria and Violet took the head of the group as expected, with Cole and Krista close by their sides, along with surprisingly Noah the Elder. When asked why he was embarking so far and this perilous a journey at his age, his only reply was that by the Great Guin's will that he would reach the new land a christen it in the name of the colony even if his last breath and steps were taken there. No excuses he had said. No one objected. He was stubborn and would stay true to his word, even if his end did come to pass there.

The entire group was anxious to find their new home soon, for soon the endless night would approach in the turn of the earth's rotation from the sun during the winter time, and no one wanted to have so little shelter from the icy, freezing blizzard winds that would come with it. No, they needed to find a sheltering home so their families and chicks could survive and grow and thrive and continue to the next generations. Yet it also needed to be placed relatively nearby to the sea, for fishing needs had to be considered so for survival matters. Some wanted it to be next to their neighbors in Adelie land, but necessary matters came first.

They had started early morning on the first day to get an early start on the search. It had now passed and so hard the second day. Night had fallen across the frozen land where they had trekked. They had decided to stop and rest for tonight on the middle of the flat plain of land somewhere between Adelie land and the land of the Elephant seals. Many complained that it was unorthodox and quite unhealthy to sleep on an exposed part of land with no ice walls or anything to shield them in the wind began blowing extra chilly tonight. Noah had protested against any complaining and reminded me to many of the winters-back-home survivors that they had endured the icy blast by creating a huddle and sleeping pressed together. Since all the females spent their winters at sea fishing food for the males and chicks, they would need to be coached by the males the proper way to sleep while in exposed conditions.

So it was done. If you were a skua or something flying above the flock at the time, you would have found it hard to distinguish any single penguins against the great, black flock of penguins tightly pressed together. Over at the front, the head group was trying to fall asleep, but were finding themselves incapable of doing so. Their eyelids just wouldn't stay closed long enough to fall asleep and they felt too full of energy to feel tired. Many of the other penguins had already fallen asleep, heads lowered and rested comfortably on their chest. For the group, their heads just felt painfully uncomfortable to be stretched down right now and their feet were way to tappity to stay still for the night.

Gloria and Seymour decided to discuss quietly with one another some of the new changes they might have to face in the new land with Cole and Krista. Violet stood apart a few feet from the group and the flock. With her friends talking together as couples while hers wasn't here now made it felt wrong to conversate with them. Without Mumble here, by her side, she felt so... so torn. Like her heart had been split in half and he had taken a piece with him when he left.

 _"I suppose that makes sense,"_ she thought to herself. _"I mean with our heartsongs and all that jazz. Two hearts becoming one."_ It seemed almost like a lifetime ago. The day during the mating season that lead to them finding out their true soulmates. Then after their adventurous journey and quest to save the colony, nxt they had had discovered that they were parents to three, wonderful chicks. Her chicks. How she missed them so much. She remember waking up each day, looking adoringly at her slumbering chocks, and sometimes her peaceful mate, who despite him drooling his in sleep more than one occasion, was pretty adorable in his sleep.

How she cherished her chicks and all their features. How she loved Skyler's creative and imaginative personality, Erika's bold, yet kind attitude, and Erik's shy, yet loyal demeanor. She adored all there different antics with their friends, her nieces and nephews. She had been so thrilled when she discovered her friends' chicks had become best friends with hers. They were just too cute together. Even Krista and Cole's chicks. Despite her first impression that they would be quite like their mother, they to had come to be wonderful friends with the chicks.

 _"Oh Guin. Why did they have to all be taken from me?"_ It seemed so unfair. First all the chicks, then her home, now her mate. Was the first penguin deity tormenting her for fun? True Seymour, Gloria, Krista and Cole had lost their home and checks to, but at least they still had each other. They probably didn't have nearly as much pain in their hearts of the grief they felt over loss.

She sighed and watched absent mindedly as her breath took the form of a small mist before her face. Her thought lazily went back to the memories as a chick when she, Mumble and the others would see who could make the most impressive or biggest breath mist when it was cold enough. Usually Seymour would win. He always did say that most of his buff body was the result of an extra large pair of lungs to beatbox with and extra big heart to pump his song to his feet and give the love to everyone. It was sweet of him, she could see why Gloria had married him. Her bold style went great along with his strong strong. But to her, Mumble would always be her one and only. His style was different and sensitive, yet sweet and unique. It was just perfect for hers, creative and inventive.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the sound of snow being grounded underfoot reached her ears. Her head turned and her violet eyes focused in the dark of night the form of Krista approaching. Her walk was a little hurried than usual and her brown eyes frantically darted around in the night to try and adjust to the low light the night provided.

"Violet," she called out as she walked closer to and spotted her. There was a certain urgency to her voice that made Violet instantly perk up.

"What is it, Krissy," she said. Despite being their nemesis in their earlier years, Krista had warmed up and become and much nicer penguin to them. But she still didn't necessarily like the nicknames she gave her. Right now though, it seemed like she didn't even care of the shorter version of her name.

"It's some penguins. They're getting uneasy with this whole thing and now an argument has broken out. Noah requests that we work it out," she replied. Violet sighed. Another worry to add to the list. Some of the penguins had been restless and paranoid for the past few days. It was only a matter of time before the mountain blew its top off. Might as well quench the fire before it burned over.

* * *

"We're all gonna perish in the night," one penguin screamed. Some others were already riled and muttering uneasily with one another. Others were trying to calm the others down, but they could be seen close up shaking too with fear. By the time Krista and Violet joined the others, most of the penguin in sight could be seen shivering or talking fearfully to each other. The two spotted the others with Noah in the crowd, so they headed for them.

Noah was trying to deliver a calming speech to calm the shaken Emperors, but the screaming and uncertainty among them wasn't helping. He had stepped down from the piece of ice he had been using as a platform and sighed in relief once he saw the two approaching.

"Thank the great Guin you are here. Paranoia and uncertainty has set amongst us, just as I fear Not even the calming words of hope has brought peace back to this deteriorating society," he explained.

"Any other ideas how to calm them down," Violet asked. Noah pointed his flipper to his left where Gloria and Seymour were attempting to calm down a few penguins.

"Those two have been negotiating for some matter of minutes, yet I do not see any changes yet," Noah replied.

"Yep, and you're not going to since these guys are stubborn," Gloria said as she and Seymour walked over.

"Yeah, they ain't listenin' to a word we sayin'," Seymour added. Krista nodded, but then rapidly started looking back and forth, left and right.

"Where's Cole," she asked. The two shrugged their answer. She suddenly flinched as she felt something touch her flipper, but relaxed when she turned to see Cole standing right next to her.

"Right here, sweetheart," he answered. "Still no changes on my side either though." The six of them flinched when they heard another penguin cry out in fear, but this time it was his words, not the volume of his voice, that shocked them down their spines and sent cold caterpillars crawl back up.

"We are all dead out here. We're lost and we'll die out here. All hope is lost!"

"No it is not," came the deep, resounding voice of Noah. He had finally reached the end of his patience and some scolding was needed to set the straight. All muttering and screaming penguins instantly clamped up and focused on him. He stepped back onto his ice platform and stood proud and stoic before all of them, despite his hunched back.

"Did the great Guin turn his back on us when the fish had disappeared, or did he send saviours to end the plight? Did he not aid us when our home was destroyed just recently, or did he ignore our prayers to get out alive? Did he not first set foot on this barren land and bring forth a multitude of others to this land of which we call our home? No he did not!" He swept a flipper to all those out there. "Are we not the descendants of those first penguins who followed Guin and chose to believe him as he made here, this solid land, our home? We are Emperor penguins! We are proud! Though we stare hopelessness in the face, we shall not yield!"

"Yeah. Give them the real, brother," Seymour cried out in agreement.

"Yes, speak on it, Noah," Cole added.

"Though our future seems uncertain, we shall not be broken by the thoughts of the faithless! Because we are fortitude! We are bold defiance! We are one glorious Emperor nation, and we shall reach our new home!"

"But what if we don't," came a cry from the audience. Another wave of panic spread through the crowd. Screams of fear were renewed. Noah sighed and glared angrily at everyone. Suddenly, Violet tapped him on the flipper and nodded her head at the platform and then the crowd.

Noah stepped down and stepped out of the way to let her on. "Be my guest, though I do not know if it will work any differently for you." Violet nodded, though her face was a bit unsure. She lifted up her foot and placed in on one of the ridges of the ice before pushing up to propel herself to the top. She stared around at the frightened and yelling penguins before opening her beak and screaming on the top of her lungs, "Be quiet!"

Her voice, still not used to yelling things at high volumes, left off an awful, grating screech at the end of her sentence. Luckily it got every penguins' attention and shut them up quite nicely. Violet was then aware of the hundreds of pairs of eyes staring directly at her. She quickly swallowed down her fear, mainly her glossophobia*, and stood tall before all of them.

"Please. Let's not think of all the cons to the situation we're in. I know it's hard right now, but we all need to do take in faith, and have hope that we will arrive in a new place that we can call home."

"But how can we just take in faith n' hope when all seems lost, huh? How," a penguin from the audience asked. Everyone was silent as Violet tried to come up with a rebuttal for the question. After a moment's hesitation, she opened her beak to speak again, and..

 _"Just when you think_  
 _Hope is lost_  
 _And giving up_  
 _Is all you got,_  
 _Blue turns black,_  
 _Your confidence is cracked,_  
 _There seems no turning back from here"_

All eyes turned to the side where the voice was coming from. Even in the dark and with the murmurs of the group, Violet could still make out the penguin and the voice singing. Krista. Her voice sang clear and bright of the trials they were facing at the moment.

 _"_ _Let's not let our anger get us lost  
_ _And the need to be right comes at way too high a cost_ _"_

Mellifluous, yet powerful, the song broke free into the night and stirred the hearts of all who were listening. It was a song of truth, yet one of inspiring hope as well.

 _"That's when you can build a bridge of light,_  
 _That's what turns the wrongs all right_  
 _That's when you can't give up the fight"_

Some of the penguins began adding in their own voices to the melody. More and more started singing along once they heard the voices of the others joining in harmony. Though Seymour, Gloria and Violet couldn't sing, they could say the words and let them flow into song if they whispered the, softly and held them in their hearts.

 _"That's when love turns nighttime into day,_  
 _That's when loneliness goes away,_  
 _That's why you gotta be strong tonight,_  
 _Only love can build us a bridge of light"_

As the last note of the chorus took flight into the night, the night was suddenly lit all aglow. The auroras had come early and were illuminating the night in their gentle, yet bright colors. The gentle, pulsating light in streams chased away the dark of night and wrapped the land in its glorious light. It spreaded out to all the corners of the night sky.

 _"Deep breath, take it on the chin_  
 _But don't forget to let love back in_

 _That's when love can build a bridge of light_  
 _That's what turns the wrongs all right_  
 _That's when you can't give up the fight_

 _That's when love turns nighttime into day,_  
 _That's when loneliness goes away_  
 _That's why you gotta be strong tonight_  
 _'Cause only love can build us a bridge of light_

 _Only love can build us... a bridge of light"_

The auroras suddenly faded as soon as they arrived, all but one stream of bright teal, green and pink light that seemed to blaze through the sky like a path and dip into the horizon like a path of the night. The part of the horizon seemed to light up more brilliantly than the other places where it was. Suddenly, as if the light was calling out to them, Violet and the main group began walking towards the spot on the horizon. Noah suddenly looked down from the stream of illumination to them and also began walking alongside them. Soon everyone turned their gaze from the aurora australis after hearing the sound of feet crunching snow underneath, and began to follow the path of light in the sky leading them to the place it lit up.

If it wasn't a sign of hope from the great Guin himself then who knew what was.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Johannesburg zoo

A man sat alone at his desk, looking at a newspaper. All around the walls of his office were newspaper clippings with animals or zookeepers on them and pictures of animals. Right on his desk was a picture of the zoo's prized, genetically-white lions.

One of the newspaper clippings showed a picture of the zoo's recent, newest addition, an immaturely molted, yet fully mature Emperor penguin, brought in from fisherman off the coast of Cape Town. They had offered him cheap since they had captured him exhausted while out on the ocean, and it was a good deal. Already, within the first day of the male penguin's arrival not only had the crowds come into see him, but to see his tap dancing skills he displayed. Crowds had came in greater, not only because of his arrival, but of his talent.

Right now he was reading an article about a zoo also in South Africa about it's penguins also drawing in crowds through dancing. Eight Emperor penguin chicks, plus a Macaroni penguin and, curiously enough, a puffin, had all tap danced together just as his zoo's penguin had. He was examining the front page with the picture of them dancing in the enclosure. His thoughts were wandering between his penguin and the eight penguin chicks.

He then suddenly picked up the phone and began dialing a number into it, 411. Once he heard a voice through the other end, he said, "Hello, this is the director the Johannesburg zoo. I'd like you to please get me on the line with the South Africa zoo director."

* * *

 ***glossophobia: the fear of public speaking. Very common fear, about 75% of the human population have it. The cure: just going up there and doing it anyways. Learned that in Speech and Debate last year.**

 **I'm glad this chapter came out faster than usual. Next we're going back to the chicks, Lovelace and Sven to see how's it going. For all you guys out there, have a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season. Sincerely, v.t.7**


	11. Coming back now

**Chapter 11** ** _Coming Back Now_**

 **Happy New Year! First chapter in 2016! We're starting this year off with going back to the chicks and seeing if their little plan worked out after all.**

 **One more thing before the stuff I add every chapter. Recently I found a mean review on the review list. It was a Guest Anonymous review and I had it removed, along with the other two non-related story comments. I'm not going to accuse anyone for doing anything, but please let me clear something up. This story is not a dump for random, hurtful and inappropriate comments. Either give an honest, yet appropriate review on what you really mean about each of the chapters, or don't review at all. To quote Thumper from the movie Bambi, "If can't say nothing nice, don't say it at all." Thank you.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"Chicks! Feeding time," Sasha called out. Her eyes traveled along the crowd of African penguins as she searched for the only puffin and Macaroni penguin somewhere among them. "Lovelace! Sven! Dinner time! Hurry it up you guys!"

Her body immediately rotated 90 degrees as soon as the nine penguins, plus one puffin charged straight by her. Two zookeepers stood nearby, tossing fishes to the hungry penguins nearby. Sasha sighed as she heard some begging from the chicks, Lovelace and Sven. The other members of the penguins already stationed here hadn't been exactly nice to any of them, ever since they got here. It was either ignoring them or letting themselves take most, if not all of, the fish.

Her thoughts snapped back into place when another set of loud footsteps made its way into the vicinity. Eyes turned to a trio of zookeepers walking towards the exhibit, each carrying or pulling equipment with them. She recognized a long cord coiled in one of the human's arms while the other two pushed/pulled along on a moving platforms what appeared to be a flat screen of some sort.

 _"Hmm. What are they up too?"_

Her eyes followed as she watched them disappear behind the exhibit and she heard the sound of a heavy door squeaking open and the rolling of the television before the jingling of keys and the slow, yet loud snap of the closing door.

After about a minute of watching the inner part of the enclosure and waiting, she finally saw one of the zookeepers come in. Some of the penguins walked over to him, expecting more fish, but he ignored him and walked straight over towards the chicks. The chicks were chatting with one another when they looked up and noticed him approaching.

Her and their eyes widened in shock as they saw the human's arms spread out and cut them off from the other penguins while beginning to guide towards the inner part of the enclosure. They began to cry out in shock. Sasha started following after them, joined by her sides with Lovelace and Sven. Finally, she noticed that another zookeeper was standing nearby with a small, portable fence that she had heard was used for the smaller creatures in the zoos and the human's homes. As soon as all eight chicks were safely past the entrance of the inner sanctum, the zookeeper set the fence horizontally down on the cement and adjusted it so it was secure to the doorway sides. As soon as the zookeepers went away, Sasha, Lovelace and Sven charge towards the temporary gate and peered through the thin metals bars crisscrossing one another.

"Chicks! Erik! Skyler! Andrew," she called out.

"Skyler! Seymour! Nathan," Lovelace shouted.

"Yoo hoo! Chickies! Erika! Bodacia! Are you in there," Sven asked. He suddenly felt aware of himself being watched, so he turned to his companions and saw them both glancing at them with a look that clearly said, 'really'. He was about to respond when they heard the chicks' voices coming from inside.

"Lovelace. Sven! Sasha," Bo cried out.

"Guys," the others cried out and rushed to the fence. The inner enclosure was darkened a bit, unusually for it's normal bright lights inside, but still they could make out the faces of the Emperor penguins inside. Sven suddenly flapped his wings and landed, a bit unsteadily, on the wooden frame surrounding the metal bars of the fence. He looked down at the widen and scared eyes of the chicks.

"Are you alright chickies," he asked in concern.

"We.. I-I think so. Sven, guys, why did they place us in here," Erik asked. Sven shook his head.

"I'm not sure. Things like this are unusually strange of late and I'm not sure why they've did this now," he replied. The chicks' eyes turned towards the veteran of the penguin enclosure, hoping that she would know what this was about. Another shake from the head.

"I'm not sure either. This has never happened before, except for the times that they cleaned our home, but still, those times we were all sent in there. Every one of us, so it's just weird to have you go in and not us," she admitted. The chicks sighed as their hope waned a little.

"Well, we might as well figure it out," Seymour suddenly said, quite boldly in fact. His chest was stick out to make himself appear bigger and a look of determination was on his face. "Let's see what's in here and see if we can find anything that can help us figure it out." The chicks stared at his face for a moment, trying to figure out if he was being serious or not. after a minute, they turned back to the adults' faces, asking silent requests if they could do it. A nod from the three of them confirmed their permission.

It was settled. They would go in and see if they could find out why they were being isolated from the rest of the penguins.

The three adults, two penguins and one puffin,watched as the chicks slowly turned and started walking into the darkened room. They could only wish the best of luck for the chicks and that nothing bad would happen to them.

* * *

You know what's a characteristic about darkness. It can be unsettling. Somehow, when you're in the darkness, as in really black darkness in an unfamiliar place, somehow your brain decides that it wants to think about monsters and other things in the dark. It's not until the light comes that any fear or negative emotions about the darkness or what's in it disappears completely almost immediately.

Now the chicks knew that anything they could probably imagine as extremely scary or freaky that lurked in the dark was all in their imagination. Still, even with this knowledge, they could not help stop the cold caterpillars crawling up their spines and their baby feathers sticking straight up on their flippers. Their eyes darted back and forth in the dim room. Their was only a handful of lights on that aided their eyesight, but penguins are not the best seers in the night.

Luckily, they could see up ahead there was a zookeeper with a light working around something. They cautiously approached him. His back was turned, but they knew he probably knew they were there. Even though they knew he probably wouldn't hurt him, they were still wary around humans. All those tales their parents told of them, 'aliens' they called them, had left them still a bit fearful of them. He seemed to be fiddling around with a tall thing with a smooth, vertical, black edge on it.

The chicks slowly approached it, marveled by it's sheer height and the glint of light off the smooth screen, like a piece of black ice. All of a sudden then, they all hopped about a foot backwards as the screen suddenly glowed with a bright, blinding light. After a moment of adjusting with the light, they could see that the screen now looked like snow, white and grey dots constantly shifting on it. The zookeeper typed on something around the snow-screen and suddenly, the light changed again. Some colors filtered few. But the main one that caused the chicks to gape in shock was the brightest one of all. Blue. Sky blue. Bright blue eyes belonging to only one penguin in the whole world.

Mumble.

Instantly, the kids screamed out his name and charged for the screen again. The Mumble in the screen suddenly flinched back and let out a gasp of surprise. But gradually, his mind caught on to the sound of his name being called by multiple voices and his eyes widened in shock.

"Chicks," he asked tentatively. "Chicks," he called, louder this time.

"Daddy!"

* * *

The alien, right 'human', was fiddling with some black instruments and a black screen when suddenly voices shot through the blocky black objects and came out in the sound of his name being called. It was so familiar, almost as if...

"Chicks," he called out. He repeated, this time louder. In that moment, he could hear a buzz and a light blinded his eyes for a moment. His eyelids blinked to rid the hot flashes, and in place of the dark screen he could see eight Emperor chicks. His friends chicks. His chicks.

"Daddy," Skyler, Erik and Erika screamed. In that moment, it was as if a burden had been lifted off his heart. His body swelled up with joy and happiness. His chicks were there. Every missing chick was there. A wide grin made its way across his face. He charged towards his chicks.

"Erik! Skyler! Erika! Everyone," he called out joyously. They were right before him, he was heading quickly towards them and...

Whap!

His eyes stared dizzily up at the ceiling while he landed on his back. His brain rushed to recomposed himself. What had just happened? His muscles groaned in response as he hurried to get up. His eyes squinted as they readjusted to the screen. His and the other chicks were still talking, mostly in concern for him. He looked closely at the screen and quickly pecked his beak. A hard wall touched it. Still, it looked as if his chicks were staring right at him. Sadness spread quickly through him. Had he lost his mind already, was he now just picturing that his chicks and all the rest were right here? Was he just delusional hallucinating that they were calling out to him?

"Daddy," one called out. His eyes focused on to his son. Blue eyes rivaling his, sparkling with unshed tears, stared straight at him.

"Erik," Mumble said. The male chick smiled at him. To both to his and to the other chicks' shock, Erik suddenly charged at the screen like Mumble did, only softer and spread out his flippers, as if he was giving a hug. Mumble saw Erik's baby feathers press against the screen, like as if an invisible wall was between him.

"I missed you pa," he heard from the blocky objects. Only then did his paranoia of becoming insane again disappear. If he was really insane, Erik wouldn't had tried to come past the invisible wall and hug him. He hadn't disappeared like his friends and family did at the last alien exhibit he was in. He realized what he was seeing was Erik, he was there, but not where he was. They were reunited again, but they weren't together physically.

But what did it matter now? Relief flooded over him knowing that all his efforts to get out here and search for them while holding on to hope that they were still alive was all rewarded now. His children were safe. His friends' children were safe.

 _"Thank you Guin,"_ he thought graciously.

* * *

"Daddy! Daddy," Erika and Skyler called out as soon as Erik separated from the screen. Their smiles couldn't get any bigger as they saw his face lit up with joy.

"Erika! Skyler! My beautiful girls. Oh thank Guin you all are safe. I finally found you," he said. Some of the chicks behind were still yelling or talking with great happiness. All their hopes and prayers had been fulfilled. They had been found at last. Veronica, Andrew, Atticus, Bo, and Nathan then bounced up and down, trying to get Mumbles' attention.

"Uncle Mumble! Uncle Mumble," they chanted.

"Atticus, Bo, Nathan, Andrew, Veronica. Oh, you're all there and safe," he said, his voice nearly drowning with relief. They all grinned as their hope rose.

"We're glad to see you two, uncle Mumble," Bo said.

"Yeah! We were so scared when we broke away from you, but thank Guin we got here," Atticus said. The other chicks nodded.

"Oh! And guess what, pa," Erika asked.

"What," he asked.

"We found Lovelace on our adventure," she replied.

"Lovelace," he asked in surprise. Eight heads nodded in reply.

"Yeah. It was so cool, and so scary. We were on the floe for about two days. Then we were picked up by the humans, or aliens as you told us. Then we found Lovelace and this cool bird, a puffin, named Sven. He has a cool accent and he looks like a penguin, but he can fly," Veronica rapidly explained. His eyebrows peaked up in surprise.

"Really," he asked.

"Yes really! Then we landed on this shore that's really hot and has no snow. Then we were taken to this place called a zoo where we are now. Oh, and there are lots of King penguins here and other cool creatures here uncle Mumble. Sasha, who's our friend, is standing outside here with Lovelace and Sven. We've also met these cool, rainbow birds, peacocks, named Kiburi, Alice and Nevaeh, and these flying rainbow birds named Mozart, Issac, Lily and Doonie, this cool liger who's our special friend named zach and a monkey who's really funny and is named Dash. And also..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa V. I'm sure you can explain it all later. But first thing's first, where are you guys," Mumble asked. The chicks stared confusedly at him, then at each other, before Andrew piped up.

"Sasha said we were at the South Africa zoo. We're not sure where that is, but that's what she told us," he said.

A short period of silence followed. Mumble's brain was in a frenzy though. His plan was to find the chicks and bring the home. To be honest, he hadn't planned this far as in how to get them home. I mean there was still a huge expanse of water between them and home. And it is a known fact that the chicks' fluffy feathers would only weigh them down in the water if they tried to swim, thus causing them to drown. So in short, they had a new problem on their flippers.

"Okay then. Um, so do any of you have any ideas on how to get to me or me to you?" Shakes of heads, pondering expression, eyes darting to one another for an answer. No. Mumble sighed. "Well, let's all put our heads together and try to come up with a good plan."

Everyone remained quiet, though a few hummed as they began to think. Mumble dipped his head to his chest, as he often did while he was deep in thought. His body remained still, but his heart was protesting. Even when silent and still, any true tap dancer knows that sometimes they just have to get out and start dancing. So, even while his form was straight and unmoving, he felt all this energy coursing through him. But he couldn't unleash it all right now, it was just break his concentration. So he just settled on tapping one of his feet in a pattern.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

"Dum, dum, dum, dey, dey, dey, dey. Dum, dum, dum, dey, dey, dey, dey," came from one of the chicks. The seven rest of them, plus Mumble, all broke out of their concentration and swiveled their heads towards the source of the noise. Erik had his eyes closed, but they could see his beak moving. All was silent in the room, all that could be heard was the beat from Mumble's feet and the melody coming from Erik's beak. All of a sudden, a wide grin came onto Bo's face.

"Bum bum...," she sang. Erik immediately shut his beak and looked up shocked at all the eyes staring at him. Mumble stopped tapping and looked at his son.

"Erik. Huh, that was some pretty good singing there, son," he praised. Erik blushed and dipped his head down shyly, but then threw it back up again once Atticus slapped his flipper against his back.

"Yeah man. Why didn't you tell us you could sing like that," he asked. His head went down towards his chest again.

"Because I...," he trailed off in a inaudible voice. Some of the chicks leaned in to listen closer. Bo actually placed her flipper on his shoulder. Mumble looked at him in concern.

"Son, I'm afraid we can't..."

"I don't want to!" Erik's face came up again and everyone could see his eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "I can't, I just can't... sing in public, okay?!" He pointed his flipper at his father. "What with you being one of the greatest dancers along with mom and the others and with you guys...," he swung a flipper towards the others, "being so talented and all that... it... I just feel so pressured to try and keep up with all this heartsong business!"

Everyone was quiet again, the only sound being Erik's quick and heavy breaths while he struggled to recompose himself. It took about a minute till he was calm enough for anyone to try to talk to him. Mumble's face was filled with fatherly concern as he looked towards his eldest chick.

"Erik. I-I never knew how you really felt. I'm so sorry," he quickly apologized. Erik slowly looked up at him.

"It's not your fault, pa. I didn't want you to know since you wanted me to be a dancer, just like you and mom," he replied. Mumble's eyes widened in shock at this revelation, but then softened with sympathy.

"I never said I wanted you to be a dancer like your mom and I. I followed after you that day because I was scared about you. I was scared that I had seriously hurt your feelings by trying to teach you how to dance, but I had never wanted to force you to be something you didn't want to be. I wanted to tell you that we're all different. It's part of the job of life, to find out who you are and what you got. It may not be dancing, heck, you might be the singer your mother and I never got to be, but when you find it... it'll be all yours. You know what I'm saying, son?"

"Yeah," Erik replied softly.

"Right," Mumble said quietly. The chicks had been patient while waiting for Mumble to finish giving his comforting, fatherly advice to Erik. Now they took the opportunity to gather around Erik and wrap their flippers around him in a comforting embrace. Erik's body was shaking with shivers, not quite yet sobs, yet two tears snuck out from both his eyes and dripped down his cheeks.

Erika had enough of seeing her older brother crying and appearing so weak. Her mind quickly searched for something that could help her sibling. While her mind searched through, her heart was already surging its energy into her. All of a sudden, she found herself singing.

 _"Pressure_  
 _Pushing down on me_  
 _pressing down on you_  
 _No matter small_  
 _Under pressure_  
 _That tears a nation down_  
 _Splits a family in two_  
 _Puts people on streets"_

Everyone stopped and looked at her. Her face was unsure at first, but then she gave a small smile at them. The others soon felt what she felt, Mumble began tapping his feet along to her voice. Nathan was the first to join in with her.

 _"Um ba ba be_  
 _Um ba ba be_  
 _De dey da_  
 _De dey da.._  
 _Da de da de da de da_  
 _It's the terror of knowing what this world is about_  
 _Watching some good friends scream_  
 _Let me out!_

 _Pray tomorrow_  
 _Take me higher_  
 _Pray tomorrow_  
 _Take me higher"_

Their feet slammed down on the last note of the chorus. For a second, nothing happens. Their breathing is quickened from the exercise that just happened out of nowhere. They all stared widely in front of them. Ther joints twitched with anticipation, right after the hard drumming in their brains cleared. The hard drumming of their hearts. Then, Erika opened her beak wide again and continued singing.

 _"Why...?_  
 _Oh! why...?_  
 _Tell me why_  
 _Tell me why_  
 _Tell me why_  
 _Tell me why_  
 _Tell me why_

 _Can't we give ourselves one more chance_  
 _Why can't we give ourselves one more chance_  
 _Why can't we give love, give love, give love, give love_  
 _Everyday, every night, every hour.."_

 _"Yeah, come on! Take it higher,"_ Atticus cheered while he sang.

 _"Come on, come on! Give love, y'all! Give love, y'all,"_ Nathan added in. A sudden bang was heard from behind them and Lovelace, Sasha and vvSven appeared just a few feet behind them, staring at the dancing that was happening. Skyler motioned them over.

"Hey, get over here," she yelled.

"Who, us," Sven asked, motioning to the three of them.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Come on," Erik cheered.

"Every step counts," Mumble said. The three smiled and joined in.

 _"To care for_  
 _The people on_  
 _The edge of the night_  
 _And love dares you_  
 _To change our way_  
 _Of caring_  
 _About ourselves_  
 _This is our last dance_

 _Ooh...This is ourselves..."_

The tension and climax of the song was now. Everyone lifted their foot up and slammed right at the last step.

 _"Creatures of the world unite, strength in numbers we can get it right- one time!"_

Bam!

* * *

The staff of both zoos were in excited enthusiasm for the video-chat link between both zoo's penguins, now they were wildly cheering and some even dancing along to the live-video feed they were watching. While the staff enjoyed themselves, some even crying tears of amazement at the sight, the directors went to phone each other and demand that their penguins, and perhaps the South Africa zoo's puffin, meet physically at once.

* * *

 **Man, I got some chills up my spine when I finished writing the last part. I apologized if the conversations with the others ruined part of the song, but I realized then that Lovelace needed to come home too. I wasn't about to leave him out, plus the other two are a great editions to the scene.**

 **Anyways, hope you enjoyed the new chapter. First of the New Year and after the tenth mark too. Please review, nice ones please, and I'll see you guys next time. Sincerely, v.t.7**


	12. Hardships Paid Off

**Chapter 12** ** _Hardships Paid Off_**

 **Wow, Mumble got to see his kids and the rest of the chicks last chapter? Wow! Now we're really getting somewhere. Let's see what the zoos have got planned out for them.**

 **To answer MarioFan65's suggestion, it is a thought in the works, just let Sky and I finish this one first. But thank you for reviewing.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

To say that the chicks were excited was an understatement. They were practically hopping around the enclosure with joy. The three adults with them watched with amusement at their excitement. For the past three days they had been exactly like this, still trying to get over the fact that they had spoken to their father/uncle/friend and they had danced together.

Rumor was it that the zoo Mumble was in was working on a certain program with their zoo, or at least that's what the 'nerd' birds has said, according to the peacocks. Even so, none of the chicks knew yet. If there was something planned, they wanted to keep it a surprise. If there was nothing, it was best to keep them from knowing, if not just to raise up their hopes before crushing them.

Anyways, the staff had been quite frequently seen around the exhibit as of late. Sweeping, feeding, polishing the rails. You name it. The hyenas were mercilessly teasing them, saying that 'those tuxedo birds are finally going up to fancy-smacy high class'. Needless to say, they were infuriatingly annoying. But heck, what else was new about them?

It was just another one of those days, she guessed. More work for the zookeepers around here. Yet she just couldn't shake off the feeling that something was about to happen soon.

Little did she know that later today her nagging feeling would be confirmed.

* * *

Next thing anyone of them knew, they were being lead into the inside part of the enclosure again, along with the added Sven, Lovelace and Sasha. It wasn't like the zookeepers really had to lead them in though, the chicks started to get excited again and rushed in, leading the only real work to be leading the added three into the building after them. The inside was same as always, minus the lights being entirely turned on. A machine connected to the ceiling sent little snowflakes onto the chilly floor. Murals of the sky and frozen landscapes decorated the walls.

The only thing different aside from the lighting was the tall wooden crate with two humans on either side of it. One was holding a thin, metal bar with curved end bent in the opposite direction of one another. The grey, unscratched metal, possibly unused, glinted in the bright light being reflected off the snow. A shock passed through their bodies and the sound seemed to reverberate through their skulls as the blunt metal was jabbed into the side of the wooden crate and it started to pry it open.

All of a sudden, the wooden side snapped and broke off to the side. Both zookeepers grasped it before it could hit the ground and cause a loud noise unpleasing to their ears. It was quickly lifted up and place over to lean against the wall. After the task was completed, the two humans left them alone with the opened crate.

The chicks flinched as they heard a moan come from inside the crate. None of them moved and neither did the adults. They heard something lightly hit the wall and then slide off weakly from somewhere inside the crate. Then suddenly, something melted out of the shadows. It was... was a... an overgrown chick? Sasha and Sven twisted their heads confusedly at him/her. About two feet higher than the chicks, yet the exact same feathers and coloring, excepting some at the tips of the flippers and the lower half of the body minus the back.

Both turned their heads to possibly get some information from the others of the new arrival, but were taken back in astonishment at their expressions. Some of the chicks were staring wide eyed at the stranger and their beaks were down to the floor while Lovelace and the rest had the same expression minus the jaw dropping.

The strange penguin staggered out, but leaned on the inside of the crate for support. His breathing was tired and his eyes fluttered close, as if he had just gotten up from a rough night of sleeping. Erik was the first to react. His steps were slow and quiet, as if he was afraid to startle the newcomer. The snow crunched lightly underfoot, but neither of them seemed to notice or care to respond if they had.

Eventually, Erik had come before the older penguin. He stood completely still, though he was staring intensely at him. Another moan erupted from the older one's throat and his eyes open sluggishly, but when Sasha and Sven saw them they both gasped. Crystal ice blue irises, only blurred slightly from fatigue. His head fell down, no longer able to support itself up anymore.

A sudden, tired gasp escaped his beak and then Erik flung himself at the older one's feet, firmly catching them in an embrace. None of them said a word as Erik buried his face into the warm leg feathers of the older one and then cooed in what sounded like relief when the penguin's flippers came around and pressed gently against his back.

The other chicks moved in closer, yet each of them were silent as they made their way over and hugged the older penguins legs just like Erik was. All was silent, until the two flinched when they heard Lovelace clear his throat. They turned to see him nodding his head to the exit. Quietly, they retreated to the exit, leaving the chicks and the newcomer alone as the lights turned off and they nine of them fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, while the zookeepers busied themselves with moving the cage away and figuring the approximate amount of fish to give the penguins with the new addition around, Lovelace was explaining Sven and Sasha who the new guy was, much to their shock and happiness. The chicks hadn't left the sanctuary of the inside enclosure yet, but Lovelace told them to leave them alone so that they could reassure and reconnect themselves with one another, after being separated over the past few weeks.

So the three calmly waited outside. Dash and Zach had offered some good info on the subject of why Mumble was there. Apparently the two had heard from the hyena brothers who had heard from the peacocks who had heard from the lorikeets and the parrots who had overheard some zookeepers talking on their walkie talkies about the entire collaboration between the two zoos. To shorten, or ' _too late'_ as Sasha said already when Dash explained it, the zoos had gotten much success from the video chatting with two zoo's penguin exhibits, so to further the conservation funds for the penguins the zoos had agreed to bring the adult male over to the one with the chicks.

"Hence the situation now," Zach had finished. By the time they were finished, a zookeeper had come out with two pails of fresh fish. The flock of penguins had already gathered around him, squawking and opening their beaks wide as they were tossed the fish into their mouths. The three came over too, not because they were necessarily hungry, but because the chicks and Mumble might be and they at least might as well bring them some fish.

This was where Sven unveiled another one of his talents. Aside from flying which was impressive enough as it is, his beak could hold up to eight fish at one time. They had actually had a competition of how many he could hold, and while the ninth dropped out of his beak, eight was still more impressive than the ones, twos and the surprising four by Sasha in at one time.

In the end of this feeding cession, Lovelace had one fish, Sasha had two and Sven lead with his whopping eight. Several penguins looked astonished or mad at them with all the fish in their mouths, but Sasha surprisingly managed to explain what they were for without dropping her load. Thankfully for them, they didn't have go that far to deliver, for at that moment, the chicks hurried out with Mumble close behind. It was just then Sven and Sasha realized just how tall he was when he was more awake and alert. He came up to the zookeeper's waist while they just barely came up to his knee and calf respectively.

Lovelace was the first to approach them. He tossed his three fish over to Nathan, Erika and Atticus who caught and ate them gratefully.

"Nice to see you again, Mumble," he said. Mumble smiled.

"Nice to see you too, old friend," he replied. Then he turned over to the other two. "And are these two the Sasha and Sven I've heard so much about?" The two smiled as much as they could with the fish in their mouths. Sasha quickly tossed her load over to the hungry chicks and trotted up to him.

"You bet we are. My name's Sasha, sir. You must be Mumble. It's a pleasure to finally meet you after hearing so much about you," she said warmly. Mumble reciprocated the expression, before it turned to shock when he noticed Sven flying up with a remainder of three fish in his mouth.

"And I am Sven. It is really goody-oody to meet you, Mumbley sir," he said in his accent, though it was slightly muffled from the fish. He threw them over to Mumble who caught and ate them, though his eyes still hadn't lost their shocked expression.

"Wow. You chicks weren't kidding when you said your friend could fly," Mumble whispered to his chicks after he swallowed. They all nodded.

"And guess what, pa. Sven can not only fly, but since puffins are related closely to penguins, he can also dive and swim," Erik said excitedly.

"Oh really," Mumble said.

"Uh huh. He can carry more fish than any penguin that ever existed, ever!"

"And it's all due to his amazingly large, red beak," Bo added in as well.

"Impressive." Mumble replied. Sven blushed and playfully swung his flipper around.

"Ja, well I try not to brag much about it. But you know, you have some wonderful chicks here, Mr. Mumbley sir. Just positively and wonderfully behaved and kind," Sven replied. He was perched on Lovelace's head, a bit to Lovelace's charagin, but thankfully puffins have hollowed bones so he was much lighter than an average penguin Sven's size.

"Oh. Well thank you Sven. That's very kind of you to say," he replied. Sven smiled and nodded.

"You ah very a welcome," he replied before hopping down from Lovelace's head and onto the pavement. Lovelace's flipper went over to massage the part of his scalp that had been stretched uncomfortably by the puffin's feet.

"Well we're all glad to see you Mumble. The chicks especially, but don't worry. We all made sure they were in good flippers, well fed, well rest, well taken care of," Lovelace said.

"Thank you my friend. I'm just glad that they're all safe and sound and all accounted for. I'm glad we're all together again," Mumble replied. He softly petted Skyler's head, eliciting a coo from her. She smiled up at her daddy along with her siblings. They were all too happy to be reunited again with him.

"So when are we going home, daddym" Erika asked. His expression grew shocked as he numbly reached out his flipper and stroked her head.

"We'll get home soon, honey. I promise. Finding you guys was just one step of the plan, the next is trying to get us all back home," he replied.

"Oh, okay, daddy," she replied.

"In the meanwhile, why don't the chicks show you around and introduce you to the other animals here," Sasha suggested. The chicks immediately after started pulling him away towards the wall where he would be able to communicate with many of their other creature friends.

* * *

After a full day of explaining, showing and staying close together, Mumble and the chicks had fallen asleep closely together inside the enclosure. Lovelace and the other penguins had fallen asleep as well, the only two still up being Sasha and Sven. The two were deep in discussion of the current situation, only the both of them under the light of the quarter moon.

"So if I'm getting all this straight, Mumbley came out all this way to find his chicks in order to bring them home," Sven said.

"Uh huh," Sasha replied and nodded her head.

"And now he found the chicks and he's planning on taking them home."

"Uh huh." Another head nod.

"So... just how are they going to get back to home?" A head shake.

"Not sure, but considering Mumble risked life and death to come here, crossing unknown waters, getting captured, being moved and all while enduring the thoughts of never seeing his chicks, wife or friends ever again, I'd say he's not going to give up that easily to get himself and them back home." Sven nodded.

"So... what does this mean? What will happen to us when they take all of them back?" Neither of them said a word, but dipped their heads in solemn silence.

* * *

 **Sorry if this bursts anyone's bubble, but in real life penguins and puffins actually are two much differents species of birds, considering one can fly and the other one cannot. I only wrote that they're close because it was previously thought that in the original movie and they do appear to be quite similar in many ways. By the way, for those noticing the strange way Sven speaks, it was all intentional. I was trying to get his accent right, though sorry if I might have failed a bit.**

 **Anyways, please leave a review! Feedback is appreciated and we'll see you again next time. Sincerely, v.t.7**


	13. Hit the Beat Hard Now

**Chapter 13** ** _Hit the Beat Hard Now_**

 **Happy Feet 1 &2 and all its content belongs to its original owners. Skyler the Elf Owl and I only own our OC's and WaterBendingQueen88 owns her OC's, Eria and Matt. All rights go to them. Same goes for any songs used in this chapter. All belong to their original owners.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Sven and Sasha had been the first ones to wake up, despite being the ones to get to bed the latest last night. They were now discussing matters that indirectly fell to them. What was going to happen now?

"Do you think we'll be able to go to the freezy-feety, Southy pole with them," Sven asked.

"I don't know but I think it's unlikely. I mean I've always been in this zoo and your kind doesn't even belong down there. If anything, they'll take Lovelace and the others back home, send you up to the Northern countries and leave me here with the others." She sighed sadly. "But in all due fairness I do not like the way this choice goes." Sven nodded and sighed too.

"Me neither. You guys are truly, really the only birds close to me that I am proud to call you my friends." Another sigh, "After the destruction of my homeland and the lost of my kind, I thought I never live to see the day where I would bond with others. Then I was kidnapped and met Lovelace and saw otherwise." He smiled, "Then came the chicks, then you, now Mumble. This past month has been more exciting and friendly then an entire year back in Svenland."

"So what do you plan to do about it," Sasha asked. Svem looked at her surprisingly.

"What do I plan to do about it," he asked. Sasha nodded.

"Yeah, what do you plan to do to try to keep up all together," she asked. He looked confused, but then furrowed his brows together. After a moment he looked p again and grinned.

"I think I might know a way to keep us all together," he replied. He leaned in and Sasha came in closer before they discussed his idea.

* * *

"Ready chicks," Mumble asked as they lined up next to him. A large crowd had gathered before them, ready to see their encore performance, or at least they hoped. The chicks nodded and responded.

"Ready!" Mumble nodded and took start at the song.

 _Looking back on when I was a little nappy headed boy_  
 _Then my only worry was for Christmas what would be my toy_  
 _Even though we sometimes would not get a thing_  
 _We were happy with the joy the day would bring_

The tapping started to accelerate. The song in their heads spreaded to their feet and to the ground below.

 _Tryin' your best to bring the water to your eyes_  
 _Thinkin' it might stop her from whippin' your behind_

 _Ooh! It's makes you wonder how we keep from going under_ " Atticus suddenly rapped. The beat and rhythm suddenly shifted. The song had turned into a medley! _"Don't push us cause we're close to the edge. We're trying not to lose our heads. And i_ _t's just a wonder how we keeps from going under."_

 _I wish those days could come back once more  
Why did those days ever have to go?  
I wish those days could come back once more  
Why did those days ever have to go?  
'Cause I love them so...  
_

 _Dance, dance, Mambo!"_

Then to Mumble's and the others surprise, Bo stepped up and opened her beak. And out from it came the most beautiful melody that reminded everyone of her mother. _"Midnight creeps so slowly into hearts of those who need more than they get. Daylight deals a bad hand to a penguin who has laid to many bets,"_ she sang, the words as clear and sweet just as her mother sang them.

 _"The mirror stares in you in the face and says baby uh, uh, it don't work. You say your prayers though you don't care._ _You dance and shake the part. Dance!_ _Boogie wonderland... aah, aah. Dance, dance, dance!"_

Then to everyone's shock, Erik came up right next top Bo and started singing as well.

 _"Ooh, Even after all we have done, we've really deserved better...  
_ _Since nothing makes sense in this world!  
_ _Although he's just an ordinary penguin...  
_ _My daddy taught me, you don't need to be colossal...  
_ _To be a great heart...  
_ _You don't need to sing...  
_ _To be awesome!  
_ _My hero...My father."_

* * *

The day they had all anticipated for came sooner than expected. The other penguins gathered around as the chicks, Mumble and Lovelace were being led into a crate. They had already said their goodbyes to everyone, the penguins were not so responsive, though the others were. Zach had dipped his head sorrowfully, Dash had been quieter than usual, the hyenas had been vulgar and the vain, proud peacocks had actually burst into tears at the news.

Before the were pushed in though, they took one last sad and fleeting glance at the enclosure before the door closed behind them and was nailed shut. Sven and Sasha watched sadly as the zookeepers started to forklift the crate into the truck. Cords were thrown over the wooden cube and secured to hooks as the engine started to rumble to life. A small puff of grey smoke came out of the exhaust pipe, the breeze blowing the scent of gasoline fumes to their faces.

The wheels started to move forward and the truck slowly started advancing to the gate. The other birds in the enclosure started to turn away as the event came to a close. But Sasha, Sven and the other animals, even the two hyena brothers who had did nothing but tease the journeyers, all stared at the exit as the biggest thing to ever happen to their zoo drove away.

* * *

 **Short** **, but that's only to leave you in suspense. Will the eight of them return home safely? Will they find their flock and be reunited with their loved ones? Have the flock found a new, suitable place for them to live? Just what exactly were Sasha and Sven discussing about? All and more will be answered in the next chapter! The songs used in the medley, as in the order they start in, are "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder, then "Boogie Wonderland", and then lastly "Erik's Opera", both the last two by the Happy Feet 1 &2 orchestra. Thanks for reading, please leave a review and we'll see you next time! Sincerely, v.t.7**


	14. After all this Time

**Chapter 14** ** _After all this Time_**

 **Happy Feet 1 &2 and all its content belongs to its original owners. Skyler the Elf Owl and I only own our OC's and WaterBendingQueen88 owns her OC's, Eria and Matt. All rights go to them. Same goes for any songs used in this chapter. All belong to their original owners.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

The first thing Mumble, Lovelace and the chicks were aware of after spending two days and nights in the crate was the sudden drop in temperature and the scent of frosty, icy air in their lungs. All of a sudden they knew they were back in the land they came from. They felt a thump and nearly flew off their feet as they felt that the crate had stopped moving and came back onto firm ground.

The chicks huddled against the older two there, breath bated in anticipation. All was still and silent outside the wooden box. They remained as quiet as they could to listen for the sound for anything on the outside. A startled yelp escaped their mouths as a sudden bang and crack was heard. A part of the wall started prying open with a loud groan from the wood. They had to narrow their eyes to look past the blinding white light that threaten to leave flashes before their vision.

All of a sudden, a gentle icy breeze blew into the crate. Everyone's tense muscles suddenly relaxed as the chill wind soothed their bodies, after being in warm temperate regions for so long. It felt like home.

They heard two humans talking just outside and then saw two of their long, bendy appendages in front of the entrance, beckoning them to come out. For a moment then, it felt too good to be true. Was it a trap, was this really their home or just another fake like the zoo? It looked real, it felt real, it seemed real, but was it really there.

Their doubts lasted only mere three seconds before dying instantly the moment the chicks stampeded out the crate and barreled into the snow. Mumble and Lovelace soon followed as they heard the excited shrieks of joy and delight as the kids rolled around and threw up flipperfuls of snow. No doubt about it, they were back home. All was left to find the rest of their family and settle home in where they had set foot.

They suddenly picked up the sound of squeaks and moans nearby, turning their attention to one of the other crates brought along with them with something squirming under the cloth on top of it. They had heard nothing more of other creatures being brought back with them, so this was unusual and surprising. The chicks ran over to Mumble and Lovelace incase of something about to happen.

Suddenly, the edge of the tarp flew up and two black-and-white figures leapt out and onto the snowy ground below with two 'umphs'. Everyone gasped in surprise as a two pairs of brown eyes looked up past their snow-covered face, one with a very large red and orange beak I might add. The two got up to their feet and dusted themselves up before waving at the group.

"Mumbly. Lovelace. Chickies. Hello," Sven called, cooing in his accent. The chicks cried in surprise and ran over to the two, embracing them like they would disappear if they didn't let go.

"Sasha! Sven! How'd you two get here," Mumble asked as he approached. Sasha looked up from over the chick's heads and smirked.

"Please, you think we're just going to let you come in and go out of our lives just like that. Nu uh. We're coming to live with you guys," she stated proudly. Bo then separated from her hug with Sven and looked at her.

"But... but what about your husband," she asked. Sasha stared at her a minute and shook her head.

"Evan. Well... I think it's best that we separate our ways. I wasn't very happy with him and I'm pretty sure he felt the same way." She then perked up a bit and gave a small smile. "Besides, I think I'd be much happier living here then in some crowded, overheated zoo with no one to talk to." The chicks nodded in agreement and ran over to hug their new group members.

"And, well, I uh, decided it would be best not to stay behind either, so I'ma stayin' too," he announced proudly. Lovelace smiled warmly at his friend and Mumble nodded in agreement.

"Welcome to the family."

* * *

A thing you should probably know about Antarctica, is that it isn't just all ice-covered land. It really is mostly deserts covered with snow year round, although there are places where the snow remains absent for most of the year. You can't also think that it is just plains, it had many valleys and mountains as well. Across the icy landscapes, life does survive. You have to adapt to live in a new place, creatures have to adapt to the land they're in in order to survive.

The Emperor penguin flock had long since moved on from their blocked home when the Doomberg struck and prohibited entry or exiting from there. After traveling for many days and night, often suffering from tiredness or hunger until one night they discovered the ribbons of light above that formed a pathway, leading towards the horizon near the sea.

After another two days and two night journey, they had found it. Sanctuary. Similar to Emperor land in the design of the large plateau of ice protruding up from the ground, yet the walls that made up it had multiple tunnels made of ice that provided shelter from the sun during the day, the chill of night and a place to hide from predators. The tunnels also lead out into open space, in case of an evacuation it would be made easy. The shore was nothing more then a short walking distance away, providing food to the famished flock. It had been a week since its discovery and already the flock had moved in and was starting to settle down in the new place they could call home.

Several penguins, close family and friend members, had volunteered to take shifts on the outer borders of their new home and to go scout out for any traces of the penguins who had yet to come home. Sometimes the chicks grandparents took up shift, other times it was their teacher Mrs. Viola, and even Noah and a few of the Elders had taken lookout for then, but it was the remaining parents that took the most out of each day to go out and try to spot any signs of them returning. The Amigos and Carmen had sometimes joined in on the spots, but sometimes they had to return back home, as a comfort to them to be back home, even if it meant going back right away.

One day, Violet, Seymour and Gloria, along with Krista and Cole, had stayed out on a longer shift while the Amigos, Mrs. Viola, Noah, Carmen, Eria and Matt stood a bit away, looking towards them concerned. Their eyes were focused on the horizon, set locked on any signs of the returning group. For the past few days, they had spent hours upon hours staying out there, only coming back to rest for the night. The flock had given them fish to keep their strength up, but everyone knew this couldn't continue much longer. Eventually, they would have to come back to the flock.

"Um, muchachos," Nestor said, being the first designated speaker to break the news, "we all feel the need to talk about this... this watching."

"We're gettin' worried about you guys," Raul quipped.

"It's getting a bit severe," Lombardo added.

"We're missin' you guys," Ramon said.

"Perhaps maybe it is time to let go," Nestor said slowly,

"It's getting to a point where you're missing out on the new colony and we never see you interacting with everyone else," Matt said.

"So we decided it might be best to," Eria stuttered.

"...Call off the watching and move on," Ramon said. His blunt, brutally honest answer earned him several glares and a slap upside the head from Carmen. The five looked absolutely shocked, but remained incredibly silent. Finally, their feet began to shift towards the group and their heads turned even slower from the horizon to them. All of a sudden, Violet abruptly stopped and flung.

"Wait," she said.

"Senorita," Matt asked, concerned, but Violet held her flipper up at him.

"No. Listen," she whispered loudly. Everyone remained still and silent, each of them listening intently through the silent air. Then they heard it was, a sound on the wind.

"Yodel-le-hee-hoo," came the trill again, right out in the distance. Everyone's eyes came to the distance, still as white as it always was. There came the song again, echoing across the barren plain.

"Yodel-le-hee-hoo," Mrs. Viola sang out, letting her own voice travel across the snow.

"Yodel-le-hee-hoo," came the sudden response if a chorus of young voices. Everyone gasped in surprise as a group of chicks jumped energetically over a bank of snow, followed by a hurrying Macaroni and King penguin, one whose specie they could not discern and lastly, a tall, grey, fluffy Emperor penguin with the most bright blue eyes they had ever seen.

"Violet," he yelled out as he and the rest of the group spotted them. Her stunning violet eyes began to fill up with glistening tears as she and the others charged towards them. The chicks took up the front of the pack. Andrew and Nathan practically flung themselves at their parent's feet, latching on and sobbing as the remembrance of all the loneliness and fear they felt on their journey without them shot forward. Atticus, Bo, and Veronica raced towards Gloria and Seymour, grasping tightly on as they absorbed the love and warmth radiating from them.

Erik, Erika and Veronica hopped onto their mom's feet, forcing her to slow down to a halt as they hugged her legs. Mumble came closer to her and closed the distance between them. His flippers wrapped around her back and pulled her closer to him. Their beaks touched and breaths mingled. Tears streamed down freely down their faces as they sobbed joyfully against one another.

"Mumble," she whispered, hardly daring to believe it.

"Violet," he whispered back, confirming her best hopes.

Barely a second had passed when they had broken away from each other when the Amigos, followed by Carmen, Eria and Matt had come barreling into him for a strong group hug. As they let him pick himself up, some came over to Lovelace, greeting him in a friendly manner while asking him about the strange penguin beside him and the mysterious, cough 'hot' cough girl as well.

"Hey you guys!" "So glad you finally came home!" "You had us very worried." "What happened out there?" "Who's the two new birds with you?" "Is his beak really that big?" "Is she available?"

"Whoa bros, whoa," Lovelace said, calming the excited Adelies down. "We'll have all the time in the world to introduce and ask questions, but how's about you show the heroes returning their brand new home?"

"Yeah," all of them called out.

* * *

"Oh yeah," Lovelace sang out as he came over the hill surrounding the colony. Eyes turned up towards him, startled to hear and see him. Amazement brighten their faces up as suddenly a song stored in their hearts and familiar figures stood beside the energetic Macaroni. Excited gasps came forth as from each side of him, Mumble, the chicks, the rest for the group, the Amigos and some other penguins stood beside him, tapping their toes to the beat.

 _"I said you wanna be startin' somethin',"_ he called out to the group. Instantly, the penguins felt the rhythm coming up their legs and from their hearts.

 _"You got to be startin' somethin',"_ they chorused back.

 _"I said you wanna be startin' somethin',"_ he sang louder.

 _"You got to be startin' somethin',"_ they called back. The small flocked danced their way down the mounds of snow, getting closer to the colony. The parents of the heroes swung in and joined into the choreographed scene.

 _"There's gotta be more to life than chasing down every temporary high to satisfy me,"_ Lovelace called out.

 _"Cause the more that I'm tripping out thinking there must be more to life,_ " Cole added. Feet stomped the ground, sending vibrations through the ice and to the next bird.

 _"Well it's life, but I'm sure... there's gotta be more than wanting more,"_ Krista voiced. _"I've got the time and I'm wasting it slowly. Onto the next thing, I'm searching for something that's missing."_

 _"I'm wanting more, I'm always waiting on something other than this,"_ the colony sang, twirling and tapping to the beat as they welcomed the heroes in with open flippers. _"Why am I feelin' like there's something I missed..."_

 _"You might make a different song, yes that's right it's true. That don't make anybody more or less as good as you. If you can't feel the music that's all you really need. Then turn this party all the way out. Good time guaranteed,"_ Matt sang, his voice directed towards Mumble. The penguins turned towards him, making him the epicenter of the circle they formed around his tapping form.

 _"Everybody get up. Clap your hands and dance to the beat. Whatever you do little darlin' it's cool. Tonight we gonna jam from now until eternity. And wave your flag because everybody plays a part. One world united singing the song of the heart,"_ the colony sang, lead by Matt joined with Eria and everyone else.

"We can be together if we all do our part. I'll let you if you let me sing the song of my heart. We can be together if we all do our part. I'll let you if you let me sing the song," Mumble spoke, as mellifluously he could without cracking his voice and causing deafness those around him. His words riled up the crowd even more.

"We got it," the Amigos and the group yelled back, taking several steps and moves like him.

"All right I'm going to tell you one more time. Listen!"

 _"One world! One world! One world united! Singin' a song. Singin' a song. Singin' a, singin' a, singin' a, singin' a song of the heart,"_ the colony voiced as the sun began to set over their new home. The rays reflected off the ice, glinting and illuminating the flock of penguins that celebrated below.

"Do ya feel me," Mumble yelled out as the penguins danced around him and weaved around one another.

 _"Yeah,"_ the group yelled.

"Do you feel me," he shouted out again.

 _"Oh yeah,"_ the crowd replied.

"Keep singing," he called out as he danced along his wife, his chicks, his parents, his friends, and all those who lived here.

 _"You do you,"_ the group sang.

 _"I do me,"_ the colony echoed back.

 _"Get going y'all,"_ Atticus and Cole called out together.

 _"The song of the heart!"_

From up in the sky, if you were to have the view like Sven as he glided over his new homeland, you would've been amazed like him at the sight of the colony united once more, dancing and singing to their songs of the heart. And, as the song was indicating, as everyone sang with their voices and feet, the entire outline of the colony inside the walls of the clear, blue ice was the shape of a heart.

* * *

 **One last chapter left, hard to believe it. Sorry its taken a while to update, life's been unbelievably busy and I've barely found the time to do this chapter, but I plan to still stick with it until the next/last chapter and the conclusion of this story. The medley is composed of "There's got to be more to life" by Stacie Orrocio, "Wanna be startin' something" by Michel Jackson, "Song of the Heart" by Prince, all requested by WaterBendingQueen88. I do not own any of the songs, all belong to their respectful owners.**

 **Thanks for reading this chapter, please stay tuned for the epic conclusion of this collab and feel free to leave a review. Sincerely, v.t.7**


	15. Epilogue

**Chapter 15** ** _Epilogue_**

 **Here it is, the grand finale. Thank you all so much to all of you people who have stuck by me till the very end and for viewing, reading, favoriting and liking my story. You guys are the best.**

 **Happy Feet 1 &2 and all its content belongs to its original owners. Skyler the Elf Owl and I only own our OC's and WaterBendingQueen88 owns her OC's, Eria and Matt. All rights go to them. Same goes for any songs used in this chapter. All belong to their original owners.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"And so ended out tale of of journey, far out into the land of the aliens, called humans where they lived. You guys know the rest of the story, what happened when we returned back," Skyler explained, standing on top of a chunk of ice before several chicks in her class and the other classes, eagerly listening to her re-telling of her and her family and friends daring adventure.

"But where are Lovelace, Sasha and Sven now," asked one of the other chicks in the audience. Skyler smiled and flipped back her brown bangs from her eyes before answering.

"They're back home in Adelie land with the Amigos, Carmen, Eria and Matt, but they'd promised they come visit soon," was the quick reply. A murmur of content penguins passed through them.

"Skyler," came a sudden voice. In an instant the blue-eyed, brown-feathered penguin was beside her, clutching her flipper in an insistent manner. "You gotta come see this." Before Skyler could respond, the other chicks beat her too it.

"What is it," asked a chick.

"It's a surprise," Veronica simply replied. An interested gasp went through the chicks.

"Can we see it," asked another, followed almost immediately after by a sea of begging from the others. Veronica shook her head.

"No, It's for Skyler only," she firmly replied, looking unfazed against the disappointed sighs. Skyler was about to respond again when she was suddenly pulled out before the words had a chance to leave her beak, leaving her avid listeners confused behind her.

* * *

"Why am I out here," Sky asked as she was suspiciously pulled by her flipper by her giggling best friend. Eventually they had come to the edge of their new home. Nothing but snow mounds and small patches of smooth land for miles around, staring past the ice walls of course.

All of a sudden, a buff chick with gold eyes popped out in front of her, smiling brightly at her. Before she could say anything again, Atticus interrupted her, going all out in a musical.

 _"_ _Don't call it a comeback  
_ _I've been here for years  
_ _I'm rocking my peers  
_ _Puttin' suckers in fear  
_ _Makin' the tears rain down like a monsoon  
_ _Listen to the bass go boom  
_ _Explosions, overpowerin'  
_ _Over the competition I'm towerin'."_

He tapped his foot while rapping, flashing a kind smirk towards her that made her heart flutter in her chest.

 _"Don't you call this a regular jam  
_ _I'm gonna rock this land  
_ _I'm gonna take this itty-bitty world by storm  
_ _And I'm just gettin' warm."_

 _"Bam!"_

And just like that, she felt a throbbing ache in her chest making its way up to her throat. She felt a song trying to make its way out and she didn't hesitate to release it.

 _"Under dusk, dance in the middle of the night_

 _Can see the night skies in the mirror of your eyes_  
 _If you don't dance, make sure you got the rhythm_  
 _Make sure that your heart beats_  
 _Beats with the rhythm_

 _The nightime is the right time."_

Her foot kept a steady tapping pace as she felt the melody surround the area and banish the quiet. She felt her heart beat sync with her feet as she sang, bringing forth what her heart had held for so long and hadn't released it till now.

 _"I wanna dance in the dark_  
 _And never stop_  
 _We're gonna light up the night_  
 _Like shooting stars_  
 _Whenever you hear the sound_  
 _Don't be alarmed_  
 _Oh, oh, oh, dancing in the dark_

 _I wanna dance in the dark_  
 _And never stop_  
 _We're gonna light up the night_  
 _Like shooting stars_  
 _Whenever you hear the sound_  
 _Don't be alarmed_  
 _Oh, oh, oh, dancing in the dark."_

 _"Oh, oh, oh, dancin' in the dark,"_ Atticus sang back, _"And_ _rockin' all yo peers."_

"Atticus," Skyler said. She tried to keep her voice in a scolding form of tone for his sudden rendition to the song, but she could not stop the giggling that erupted from her throat.

"We'll work on it. I mean, if that's alright with you, chicka," he asked politely, with just a hint of playfulness at the end. She rolled her eyes, thinking he might had spent too much time with the Amigos, but her beak and the sparkle in her brown eyes betrayed her feelings.

"I'd really like that," she replied sweetly. Veronica had left not too long ago, leaving the two by themselves.

The sun had began to set over their homeland, dying the sky a mixture of fiery hues, pinks and fuchsias. The first star could be seen, hanging brightly over the water. As the sun made its steady descent down, two penguin chicks watched it slowly fall, all while talking and laughing with one another.

No better way to end their journey and start a new one.

* * *

 **And there you have it, the final chapter. Wanted to get in the last bit of romance before the ending. The songs are "Dancing in the dark" by Rihanna and "Mama Said Knock You Out" by LL Cool J.**

 **Thank you everyone so much for reading Skyler's and my collab. It took ten months, almost a year to complete this entire thing, but all the time and hard effort put into it was well worth it. Thank you everyone who read, reviewed, faved or followed all the steps on the way. Please leave a review with some feedback on how you thought the entire story was and feel free to check out more of Skyler and my stories. Sincerely, v.t.7 and Skyler the Elf Owl.**


End file.
